Bayer’s request for Roundup appeal rejected by California court [Wall Street Journal]
The California Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Bayer AG seeking to reverse a jury verdict that the company’s Roundup herbicide caused a groundskeeper’s cancer, leaving the company with few remaining options to avoid paying a $20.4 million judgment. The German drug and agriculture conglomerate had challenged a 2018 verdict in California state court that found the company’s Roundup products posed a danger to users like plaintiff Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, and that the company failed to warn consumers of potential health risks. It was the first of three jury decisions in favor of Roundup-using plaintiffs, helping build a wave of lawsuits and eventually leading Bayer to strike a $10.9 billion settlement deal with tens of thousands of plaintiffs in July.
$30 million in EPA grants to help valley growers replace polluting tractors and almond harvesters [Bakersfield Californian]
It’s no secret that the San Joaquin Valley has an air quality problem, maybe the worst in the nation. And one tool officials have used for years to help clear the air is harnessing millions in federal dollars to assist valley growers in replacing old, polluting tractors and other farm equipment with new, cleaner equipment. This year, the feds went big. The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District announced Thursday in a news release that it will augment its grant program with more than $30 million in additional U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding to replace old agricultural tractors and nut harvesting equipment.
Hurt by the pandemic and wildfires, some Napa Valley vintners request loosening of winery regulations [Napa Valley Register]
Citing the “devastating, unprecedented blow” of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent wildfires on the region’s wine industry, nine vintners are asking Napa County to waive regulations around tasting room visitation until 2023. Identifying themselves as the steering committee of Coalition Napa Valley — a group which previously lobbied Napa County to streamline the use permit modification process for wineries — the nine submitted their request to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday….“Our neighbors are losing their jobs. Our businesses are losing money or closing. And both Napa County and the state are losing needed tax revenues,” the letter read. “The Napa County Supervisors has the ability to turn this tide, and we ask you to take specific actions to help revitalize our community.”
Veggie burgers are still burgers, EU lawmakers rule [Associated Press]
…In votes on issues relating to agricultural products, the European Parliament said that so-called veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages can continue to be sold as such in restaurants and shops across the union. Europe’s largest farmers’ association, Copa-Cogeca, had supported a ban, arguing that labelling vegetarian substitutes with designations bringing meat to mind was misleading for consumers. On the opposite side of the debate, a group of 13 organizations including Greenpeace and WWF urged lawmakers to reject the proposed amendments, arguing that a ban would have not only exposed the EU “to ridicule,” but also damaged its environmental credibility.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article246660598.html
In annual pilgrimage, sacred images make rare stop for farmworkers in Moorpark [Ventura County Star]
…This year, the images made an extra stop: the radish field at Muranaka Farms in Moorpark. Thursday’s event was the first visit of the pilgrim images to a working farm, and it recognized farmworkers for their important role in the nation’s food production, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. The United Farm Workers, Muranaka Farms and the archdiocese partnered for the event. “We also know that many of our farmworkers have gotten COVID, and they themselves are putting their lives at risk to continue to feed the United States,” he said.
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