News

New study reveals dangers of glyphosate toxicity

A new pilot study has revealed the health effects of glyphosate on rats, even when dosed with the recommended safe limit per body weight.

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Join the great bee count

The great bee count takes place this month.  From 18 May - 30 June, you can spot and record any bees you see, and send the results to Friends of the Earth.

Go to https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bee-count to join the survey. They also offer an app that will help you identify and record different species.

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Congratulations - and thanks!

Thank you to all those who emailed Defra as part of the food and farming consultation, post Brexit.  With your voices we managed to get the message across that omitting 'organic' from their proposals for the future of British farming was a serious oversight.

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International Compost Awareness week 2016

Ditch the bag this International Compost Awareness Week

This International Compost Awareness Week (6-12 May), why not celebrate with a completely compostable cuppa?

As we revealed last month, most tea bags have traces of plastic in them. This makes them unsuitable for your compost heap, as the plastic doesn't degrade. Our advice is to forget the bags and drink leaf tea whenever possible.

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Speak out for organic!

Add your voice to the future of food and farming...

DEFRA has launched a nationwide consultation on farm policy after the UK leaves the European Union.  The draft White Paper makes some very sound points, but we believe is it sadly inadequate on expressing support of organic growing.
If the words ‘white paper’ and ‘consultation’ sound too boring, we sympathise.  However, this is an excellent opportunity for anyone who believes in organic growing to have a say on our future. 

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Join Garden Organic at Gardeners World Live 2018

Join us at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, 14-17 June, NEC Birmingham

Join us for four fantastic days at the garden party of the year - BBC Gardeners’ World Live, from 14th-17th June at Birmingham’s NEC. Book now and receive 20% off your tickets by quoting GRD2 when booking.

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EU agrees total ban on bee-harming pesticides

The world’s most widely used insecticides will be banned from all fields within six months, to protect both wild and honeybees that are vital to crop pollination.

The European Union will ban the world’s most widely used insecticides from all fields due to the serious danger they pose to bees. The ban on neonicotinoids, approved by member nations on Friday, is expected to come into force by the end of 2018 and will mean they can only be used in closed greenhouses.

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Join the Leicestershire Master Gardener volunteer team

Help Leicestershire Master Gardeners grow and grow

More than 60 volunteers will be helping communities throughout Leicestershire to grow their own organic food this year and more are needed to join them!

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apple identification

2018 DNA Fingerprinting Scheme launched for apples, pears and cherries

The fruitID.com project has announced that following the success of their schemes in 2016 and 2017, they are offering DNA analysis of Apple, Pear and Cherry fruit trees for 2018 at £26 plus VAT per sample. The world-renowned research organisation NIAB-EMR at East Malling in Kent, will provide the DNA analysis through their laboratory, East Malling Services Ltd: the National Fruit Collection will review the results; and Peter Laws of fruitID.com will administer the scheme.

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Garden Organic welcomes European visitors

Garden Organic last month gave European visitors an insight into its successful social and therapy gardening projects over a week-long visit.

The delegates from Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia all work for charities running similar projects in their own countries. We have a chance to learn from each other through a three-year project called Towards Mutual Understanding with Nature, funded by Erasmus+.

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