Châtenay-Malabry (FR -
92290), 10 June 2013
EFITA newsletter / 607 - European Federation for Information Technology
in Agriculture, Food and the Environment
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Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net
To read this newsletter
on our web site
See: http://www.informatique-agricole.org/gazette/efita/efita_130610_607.htm
The archives of this newsletter
See: http://www.informatique-agricole.org/category/gazette-efita/
Jokes, Quotes and Anecdotes... an Anatomy of Wit
Mick Harkin, ex Secretary of EFITA, who has kept us amused with his
Friday Jokes over the years, has published a book on Amazon entitled "Jokes,
Quotes and Anecdotes... an Anatomy of Wit".
See: http://www.jokesquotesandanecdotes.com
Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie
European Innovation Partnership (EIP): 'Agricultural Productivity and
Sustainability'
See: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eip/index_en.htm
A point of view: Agricultural / Food Data Standardisation (GW)
In the last issues of this newsletter, I discussed: Open Archives,
Open Data, generalized ICT adopation by farmers and advisors (as well
as by our societies).
Here I would like to tell (from my point of view) how data standardisation
made progresses in France.
We have two major actors: GS1 and AgroEDI Europe.
> AgroEDI Europe (AEE) achieved some remarkable successes except in
animal productions, a domain where "home made" standards prevail.
AEE initiated a UN/CEFACT working group (TBG18).
See: http://www.agroedieurope.fr/en/index.php
See: http://www1.unece.org/cefact/platform/display/TBG/TBG18
> GS1 achieved remarkable successes too especially to assign a unique
identification number to entreprises (including farms) to guaranty the
traceability of products, as well as in other domains such electronic
milk invoices and e-commerce.
See: http://www.gs1partenaires.fr/
In this context, I find useful to promote existing solutions and approaches
that remain not enough known and used.
ICT Update is a bimonthly web magazine…
…with an accompanying printed bulletin and an email newsletter. It
is published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
(CTA)
See: http://ictupdate.cta.int
TopDown has a suite of solutions...
See: http://topdownconservation.com/suite-solutions/
Handbook de agricultura de precisión (in Spanish)
Ver: http://www.elsitioagricola.com/CultivosExtensivos/LibroIniaAP/libro3.asp
USDA and EPA Launch U.S. Food Waste Challenge
- USDA - Launch of U.S. Food Waste Challenge - Together we can make a
difference!
See: http://www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/index.htm
- EPA Food Recovery Challenge
See: http://www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/
See: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2013/06/0112.xml
>>> USDA and EPA Launch U.S. Food Waste Challenge: Calls on both
Public Sector and Private Industry to reduce food waste
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2013 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched
the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, calling on others across the food chain—including
producer groups, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and
other government agencies − to join the effort to reduce, recover,
and recycle food waste. Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Acting Administrator
Bob Perciasepe were joined at the event by representatives from private-sector
partners and supporters including Rio Farms, Unilever, General Mills,
the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, Feeding America, and Rock and Wrap
It Up!.
Food waste in the United States is estimated at roughly between 30 to
40 percent of the food supply. In 2010, an estimated 133 billion pounds
of food from U.S. retail food stores, restaurants, and homes never made
it into people's stomachs. The amount of uneaten food in homes and restaurants
was valued at almost $390 per U.S. consumer in 2008, more than an average
month's worth of food expenditures.
"The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply
on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste," said Secretary
Vilsack. "Not only could this food be going to folks who need it
– we also have an opportunity to reduce the amount of food that ends up
in America's landfills. By joining together with EPA and businesses from
around the country, we have an opportunity to better educate folks about
the problem of food waste and begin to address this problem across the
nation."
"Food waste the single largest type of waste entering our landfills
-- Americans throw away up to 40 percent of their food. Addressing this
issue not only helps with combating hunger and saving money, but also
with combating climate change: food in landfills decomposes to create
potent greenhouse gases," said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe.
"I'm proud that EPA is joining with USDA today to announce the U.S.
Food Waste Challenge. With the help of partners across the country, we
can ensure that our nation's food goes to our families and those in need
– not the landfill."
The goal of the U.S. Food Waste Challenge is to lead a fundamental shift
in how we think about and manage food and food waste in this country.
The Challenge includes a goal to have 400 partner organizations by 2015
and 1,000 by 2020.
As part of its contribution to the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, USDA is
initiating a wide range of activities including activities to reduce waste
in the school meals program, educate consumers about food waste and food
storage, and develop new technologies to reduce food waste. USDA will
also work with industry to increase donations from imported produce that
does not meet quality standards, streamline procedures for donating wholesome
misbranded meat and poultry products, update U.S. food loss estimates
at the retail level, and pilot-test a meat-composting program to reduce
the amount of meat being sent to landfills from food safety inspection
labs.
Through its Food Recovery Challenge, EPA will provide U.S. Food Waste
Challenge participants with the opportunity to access data management
software and technical assistance (www.epa.gov/smm/foodrecovery/)
to help them quantify and improve their sustainable food management practices.
To join the Challenge and learn more about USDA's activities and the activities
of those who have already joined, visit: www.usda.gov/oce/foodwaste/index.htm
Contact: Jean-Paul VIGNAL
E-mail: jaypeevee(a)aol.com
EU Agricultural Law
The European Union‘s common agricultural policy is without question
the most economically significant policy area in EU law, as well as the
area in which Union regulation has been implemented most consistently
and intensely. This book contends that today, considering this comprehensive
regulation of issues that are of prime economic importance – and the rich
case law that this EU policy has generated – EU agricultural law cannot
be treated as an isolated discipline, but must be seen in the context
of general Union law. The author first deeply explores in an unprecedented
way what is meant by the expressions ‘agriculture’, ‘agricultural activity’,
and ‘agricultural producer’ found in current EU legislation, and goes
on to provide a detailed legal analysis in contexts from Member States
to the World Trade Organization. In the course of the presentation he
examines the following, among much else:
- the principle of unified markets or common prices;
- structural funds for promoting regional agricultural development;
- encouragement of local strategies based on partnership and experience-sharing
networks;
- environmentally friendly agricultural measures;
- the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural
Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD);
- whether a person or undertaking produces agricultural products or processes
them;
- food safety measures;
- animal welfare;
- agricultural training and research;
- ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community;
- interventions concerning storage or production limitation;
- State aid schemes;
- marketing standards;
- geographical indications;
- trade with third countries;
- support for improving the environment and the countryside;
- payment of aid pursuant to the single payment scheme; and
- WTO rules on domestic support measures, import duties and restrictions,
and exports.
As a full-length, in-depth analysis of EU agricultural law, this book
has no peers. It is sure to be welcomed not only by legal academics, but
by all who are professionally engaged in dealing with issues of Union
agricultural law, whether lawyers, professional interest groups, or administrative
authorities.
See: http://www.kluwerlaw.com/Catalogue/titleinfo.htm?ProdID=9041132805&name=EU-Agricultural-Law
Bing Rises Above 17% Search Market Share As Google Slips
Bing’s U.S. search market share has hit another all-time high, passing
17 percent for the first time. It gained at Google’s...
See: http://searchengineland.com/bing-rises-above-17-search-market-share-as-google-slips-comscore-159746
3 Reasons Most Presentations Fail: Make your sales presentations more
compelling and interesting
See: http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/3-reasons-most-presentations-fail.html
That Sonofabitch... a shaggy fish story!
One day, a priest decides to take a walk to the pier near his church.
He looks around and finally stops to watch a fisherman load his boat.
The fisherman notices, and asks the priest if he would like to join him
for a couple of hours. The priest agrees. The fisherman asks if the priest
has ever fished before; the priest says no. He baits the hook for him
and says, "Give it a shot, father."
After a few minutes, the priest hooks a big fish and struggles to get
it in the boat. The fisherman says, "Whoa, what a big sonofabitch!"
The priest says, "Ah, please sir, can you mind your language?"
The fisherman responds (thinking quickly), "I'm sorry father, but
that's what this fish is called---a sonofabitch!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," says the priest. "I didn't know."
After the trip, the priest brings the fish to the church and spots the
bishop. "Eminence, look at this big sonofabitch!"
"Please father," says the bishop. "Mind your language,
this is a house of God."
"No, you don't understand," says the priest. "That's what
this fish is called, and I caught it. I caught this sonofabitch!"
"Hmmm," says the bishop. "You know, I could clean this
sonofabitch and we could have it for dinner."
So the bishop takes the fish and cleans it, and brings it to Mother Superior
at the convent.
"Mother Superior, could you cook this sonofabitch for our dinner
tonight with the Pope?"
"My lord, what language!" says the mother.
"No, sister," says the bishop. "That's what the fish is
called---a sonofabitch! Father caught it, I cleaned it, and we'd like
you to cook it"
"Hmmm," replies Mother Superior. "Yes, I'll cook that sonofabitch
tonight."
While the Pope is over for dinner that evening he remarks that the fish
is superb. He asks where they got it.
"I caught the sonofabitch!" says the priest.
"And I cleaned the sonofabitch!" says the bishop.
"And I cooked the sonofabitch!" says Mother Superior.
The Pope stares at them for a minute with a steely gaze, but then takes
off his hat, puts his feet up on the table, and says, "You know,
you fuckers are all right.".
Contact: Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie
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