Medico International and the German network "Coordination gegen Bayer-Gefahren" have reported that the pesticides used by the Israeli occupation forces in Lebanon were produced in Germany. The incident is of particular relevance to Germany as the US-based glyphosate manufacturer Monsanto was acquired in 2018 by the German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer.
El Niño has officially begun. There is a high probability of agricultural drought as a result. The number of dairy farmers in Great Britain has dropped below 7,000 for the first time. Scientists have discovered a gene that helps keep rice plants safe from extreme heat during its most sensitive flowering stage.
25 employees were injured when a toxic chemical leaked at Chempark Dormagen. The emergency services took care of them and they are receiving medical treatment. The Cologne police are investigating the cause of the incident. The employees all wear warning stickers that indicate contamination with phosgene.
It is unknown how serious the injuries are. Chempark's employees wear phosgene warning stickers. The safety measures pre-installed to neutralize the substance would have taken effect immediately. It is not yet known how the incident occurred. The Cologne police are investigating.
Recent changes to Texas Cottage Food Law were effective as of September 1, 2025. Cottage foods are food made in a home kitchen without the benefit of inspection from a local, state, or federal health authority. Raw meat, seafood, raw milk, and ice and ice products are not protected under Cottage Law.
This year’s El Nino is expected to be among the highest since 1950. Forecasts from meteorological agencies are almost uniform in their alarm. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned it will hit even harder, travel farther and cross borders with devastating speed. Agriculture accounts for around 24% of gross domestic product in Pakistan, Laos and India. Southeast Asian industrial powerhouses such as Indonesia and Vietnam depend on agriculture for 14% and 13%.
The European Parliament voted in favor of an update to the EU's genetic engineering rules. In the future, plants that were bred using a certain form of genetic engineering will no longer have to be specifically labeled and approved separately in the EU. The method is based on the so-called CRISPR-Cas gene scissors, whose inventors received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for it.
Biosecurity is an important part of farm life. It's important to have separate pairs of clothes and shoes for interacting with your animals and for hand washing farm equipment. Visitors to the farm should be careful about their contact with the animals and avoid contact with them.
Homemade food gifts are safe to eat. The National Center for Home Food Preservation offers guidelines to evaluate the safety of home-canned gifts. Fruit jams and jellies, fruit spreads, and whole fruits are low risk. Low-acid meats, vegetables and mixtures pose a higher risk. Canned breads and cakes are not safe.
Save Our Bacon Act would overturn hundreds of existing animal welfare laws and harm small and mid-sized family farmers. The Farm Bill, which passed the House in late April, is now under review in the Senate. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) recently withdrew his support of the Senate version of the bill. The Senate draft of the Farm Bill is expected to be released in June.