Vegan News 4.30.13

The Chemical Industry is the Big Tobacco of the 21st Century. “The culprit behind this silent killer is lead. And vinyl. And formaldehyde. And asbestos. And Bisphenol A. And polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). And thousands more innovations brought to us by the industries that once promised ‘better living through chemistry,’ but instead produced a toxic stew that has made every American a guinea pig and has turned the United States into one grand unnatural experiment.”

Bee deaths: EU to ban neonicotinoid pesticides. “Fifteen countries voted in favour of a ban – not enough to form a qualified majority. According to EU rules the Commission will now have the option to impose a two-year restriction on neonicotinoids – and the UK cannot opt out. The Commission says it wants the moratorium to begin no later than 1 December this year. The UK did not support a ban – it argues that the science behind the proposal is inconclusive. It was among eight countries that voted against, while four abstained. Wild species such as honey bees are said by researchers to be responsible for pollinating around one-third of the world’s crop production.”

Deer Breeding: Are Whitetails Wildlife or Livestock? “The whitetail deer breeding industry has been getting more than its share of headlines lately. It seems deer breeders and captive whitetail hunting operations are working hard at loosening restrictions on deer breeding operations. They want state wildlife agencies to hand regulation responsibilities over to state agriculture departments. They believe that state agricultural departments will be better for business and will be more willing to ease ‘excessive’ restrictions like curtailing deer transport, identifying and monitoring unique deer for disease, and double fencing to prevent wild deer from contacting captive deer.”  Deer breeders and deer hunters, you’re both wrong on every level.

Photo credit: Gustavo Moya via Flickr