Start Quote For some religious groups, or people who abstain from eating pig meat, the presence of traces of pig DNA is unacceptable” Prof Alan Reilly FSAI chief executive

'Horsemeat beefburgers' investigated in UK and IrelandTesco's Tim Smith: "We're very sorry this has happened"Investigations are under way to try to find out how beefburgers on sale in UK and Irish Republic supermarkets became contaminated with horsemeat.Irish food safety officials, who carried out tests two months ago, said the products had been stocked by a number of chains, including Tesco and Iceland stores in the UK.

They said there was no human health risk and the burgers had been removed.

Tesco said it was "working... to ensure it does not happen again".

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the meat had come from two processing plants in the Irish Republic - Liffey Meats and Silvercrest Foods - and the Dalepak Hambleton plant in North Yorkshire.

The burgers had been on sale in Tesco and Iceland in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, where they were also on sale in Dunnes Stores, Lidl and Aldi.

A total of 27 burger products were analysed, with 10 of them containing traces of horse DNA and 23 containing pig DNA.

'Unacceptable'

Horsemeat accounted for approximately 29% of the meat content in one sample from Tesco, which had two frozen beefburger products sold in both the UK and Ireland contaminated with horse DNA.

Continue reading the main story

In addition, 31 beef meal products, including cottage pie, beef curry pie and lasagne, were analysed, of which 21 tested positive for pig DNA.

The director of consumer protection at the FSAI, Raymond Ellard, said several investigations would now need to take place.

He said: "The companies have taken a very responsible attitude. On a voluntary basis they have withdrawn products from sale, so have the retailers.

"They are co-operating completely with the authorities here to investigate how this could have happened. A long chain of inquiry has to take place now to look at all the raw ingredients that we use for these productions, where they came from and how the cross-contamination could have occurred."

Tesco's group technical director, Tim Smith, stressed the company "immediately withdrew from sale all products from the supplier in question" after receiving the test results on Tuesday.

In a statement, Mr Smith said food safety and quality was "of the highest importance to Tesco" and "the presence of illegal meat in our products is extremely serious".

He added Tesco was "working with the authorities in Ireland and the UK, and with the supplier concerned, to urgently understand how this has happened and how to ensure it does not happen again".

Irish Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney: ''There is no food safety risk"

FSAI chief executive Prof Alan Reilly said there was "a plausible explanation for the presence of pig DNA in these products, due to the fact that meat from different animals is processed in the same meat plants".

But he added: "There is no clear explanation at this time for the presence of horse DNA in products emanating from meat plants that do not use horsemeat in their production process.

"In Ireland, it is not in our culture to eat horsemeat and, therefore, we do not expect to find it in a burger.

"Likewise, for some religious groups, or people who abstain from eating pig meat, the presence of traces of pig DNA is unacceptable."

'Highest standards'

The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, reassured the public that the burgers posed no health risk, adding the Republic of Ireland "probably has the best traceability and food safety in the world".

Iceland said the FSAI's findings were concerning, stressing the company had "withdrawn from sale the two Iceland brand quarter pounder burger lines implicated in the study".

It said it "would be working closely with its suppliers to investigate this issue and to ensure that all Iceland brand products meet the high standards of quality and integrity that we specify and which our customers are entitled to expect".

Aldi said only one of its products - the Oakhurst Beef Burgers (8 pack), which is on sale only in the Republic of Ireland - had been affected.

In a statement, Aldi Stores (Ireland) said it had "immediately removed the product from sale and have launched an investigation into the matter".

The company said it "takes the quality of all its products extremely seriously and demands the highest standards from its suppliers".

Lidl was not available for comment when contacted by the BBC.

Meanwhile, Silvercrest Foods and Dalepak both said they had never bought or traded in horse product and have launched an investigation into two continental European third-party suppliers.

Do you work for Liffey Meats, Silvercrest Foods or the Dalepak Hambleton plant? Might you have eaten the contaminated products? Please get in touch using the form below.

Druids and Pagans

21 December 2010 Last updated at 09:21
http://rich-biofool.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/dartmoor

Druids and Pagans celebrate winter solstice at Stonehenge

More than 2,000 people gathered in the snow of Stonehenge to celebrate the winter solstice.

Druids, lead by Arthur Pendragon (centre), take part in the winter solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire Photo: PA

By Victoria Lee 12:50PM GMT 22 Dec 2010

Despite the actual sunrise, - which took place at 08.09am - being obscured by mist, Peter Carson of English Heritage said: "Stonehenge looked spectacular in the snow and it was a great way for people to start their festive season."

The Pagan community came out in force to celebrate the annual festival, along with many whom were merely curious to experience the event.

As well as the traditional Druid and Pagan ceremonies, a snowball fight erupted as people enjoyed the cold weather.

"The popularity of the winter solstice has grown over the years as more is known about Stonehenge and the winter solstice and the whole celebration has grown in popularity, " Mr Carson said.

Lance Corporal Paul Thomas, a serving soldier of 15 years who fought in Iraq, was "knighted" with a sword by a Druid calling himself King Arthur Pendragon.

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The word solstice comes from the Latin phrase for "sun stands still". During the winter solstice the sun is closer to the horizon than at any other time in the year, meaning shorter days and longer nights. The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.
The Sun's passage through the sky appears to stop, with it seeming to rise and set in the same two places for several days. Then the arc begins growing longer and higher in the sky, reaching its peak at the summer solstice.
The solstices happen twice a year because the Earth is tilted by 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun. Since ancient times people have marked the winter and summer solstices.
The stones at Stonehenge are aligned with the sunlight on both the summer and winter solstices. These times told prehistoric farmers that harvest was coming or that the shortest day of winter had passed.

Recent excavations of animal bones at the site suggest that huge midwinter feasts were held at Stonehenge, with cattle moved there to be slaughtered for the solstice celebrations.December 21 – The full moon is in total eclipse from 1:12 to 2:47 UT and the solstice occurs later in the day at 16:05 UT 1638

Skywatchers observe lunar eclipse

21 December 2010 Last updated at 09:28 Help

It is the first time since 1638 that a lunar eclipse has fallen on the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.
Scotland and Northern Ireland provided the best viewing conditions in the UK.
Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen's University told the BBC's Andy Martin it was a "beautiful" eclipse as he observed it from Belfast.

Read more

• Skywatchers observe lunar eclipse

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Professor Alan Fitzsimmons from Queen's University, describes the eclipse from Belfast

Related stories

• In pictures: Total lunar eclipse
• Lunar eclipse wows sky watchers
• Red Moon dives behind Earth

Skywatchers around the world have been observing a rare total lunar eclipse.

The best viewing conditions for the eclipse were from North and Central America, parts of northern Europe and East Asia.
Total eclipses can turn the Moon a shade of pink or dark red. The eclipse began early on Tuesday morning GMT.
It is the first total lunar eclipse in three years and the first to fall on the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year - in nearly 400 years.
The Moon is normally illuminated by the Sun. During a total lunar eclipse, the full Moon passes through the shadow created by the Earth blocking the Sun's light.
Some indirect sunlight can pierce through and give the Moon a dramatic shade of red.
The west coast of America saw the eclipse start on Monday night; observers in North and Central America were able to view the whole event.

Total eclipse began at 0741 GMT on Tuesday (0241 EST on Tuesday; 11:41 PST on Monday).
Western Europe sees the start of the spectacle while western Asia catches only the tail end.
The totality phase - when the moon is entirely inside Earth's shadow - lasted a little over an hour.
"It's perfectly placed so that all of North America can see it," said eclipse expert Fred Espenak of Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Did you see see the lunar eclipse?

Dartmoor Zoo, near Plymouth, said it had closed its doors to the public because of the weather.

Dartmoor Zoo, near Plymouth, said it had closed its doors to the public because of the weather.

RSPB asks us to feed the birds as cold hits Devon

By Jemima Laing BBC Devon

Have you ever thought about rubbing fat into the bark of your trees or placing porridge oats on your bird table?

These are just some of the ways you can help our feathered friends as we, and they, shiver in the cold snap.

The RSPB in the South West is giving guidance on how to help birds survive in the wintery weather.

The charity is urging people to put out a variety of tasty treats as our winged visitors struggle to get to their natural food sources.

Mealworms, fat-balls, crushed peanuts, dried fruit, seeds and grain are just some of the foods the birds love.

Feed the birds Put out feed regularly Put out hanging feeders for seeds Ensure a supply of fresh water every day Hang up food bars or rub fat into the bark of trees

And rubbing fat into the bark of trees is a great help for treecreepers, goldcrests and many other species.

"This year it looks as though wild birds will face an earlier than usual test in finding enough of the right kind of foods to give them energy and warmth," said Tony Whitehead from the RSPB in Devon.

"The food and water we supply could ensure their survival."

As well as affecting some vulnerable species, the cold snap may also bring some birds from overseas into Devon gardens a little earlier than usual.

"Already we've seen both fieldfare and brambling around our own garden, both of which are winter visitors," said Tony.

The snow arrived in Devon at the end of November

"And our bird feeders are certainly a lot busier than they were a couple of weeks ago."

Tony explained that when the weather conditions take a turn for the worse there is often a noticeable change in the behaviour of wildlife.

Birds will try to replenish energy overnight first thing in the morning and last thing in the afternoon with a spurt of activity.

During winter birds must feed at an increasing speed, but must also take plenty of rest to conserve energy.

Many birds become more sociable to improve their chances of survival during cold weather, flocking together to improve their chances of locating food, and huddling together during the critical night-time period to help conserve body heat.

"It's not all doom and gloom, though," said Tony.

"The chilly conditions may also mean that a flurry of more unusual birds we don't often see until later on in winter will appear earlier as they use our gardens as a safe haven."

For more information on how to help birds this winter visit the RSPB's

What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?

Drunken sailors left out of rhyme

The pirates are being tickled, rather than sobering up in the brig

"Drunken sailors" have been removed from the lyrics of a nursery rhyme in a government-funded books project.

But the Bookstart charity says the re-writing of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor? has "absolutely nothing to do with political correctness".
The charity says that the shift from drunken sailor to "grumpy pirate" was to make the rhyme fit a pirate theme, rather than censorship.
"Put him in the brig until he's sober," has also been lost in the new version.
This latest ideological spat over nursery rhymes was sparked by the re-writing of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor.
'Rusty razor'
Bookstart, a project that encourages parents to read with their young children, has produced a different version - with no references to alcohol-swigging sailors.

PIRATES AHOY! What shall we do with the grumpy pirate? What shall we do with the grumpy pirate? What shall we do with the grumpy pirate? Early in the morning Hooray and up she rises Hooray and up she rises Hooray and up she rises Early in the morning Do a little jig and make him smile Do a little jig and make him smile Do a little jig and make him smile Early in the morning

Instead the hard-drinking sea shanty has been turned into something gentler, with lyrics such as "Tickle him till he starts to giggle, Early in the morning."
The charity has dismissed accusations that this is a politically-correct attempt to avoid the alcohol references, saying that it was a case of re-cycling a familiar tune for reading events that were based on a pirate theme.
"We wanted to find a rhyme which would fit in with this subject and this one has a tune which is instantly recognisable by all," said a statement from Bookstart.
"The inclusion of action lyrics like 'wiggle' and 'tickle' offer parents and small children an opportunity to interact, have fun and enjoy acting out the rhyme together."
Although the Drunken Sailor version familiar to children already leaves out some of the saltier verses.
The original includes such suggestions as: "Shave his belly with a rusty razor", "Stick him in a bag and beat him senseless" and "Put him in the hold with the captain's daughter."
The captain's daughter was a euphemism for a lashing from a cat o' nine tails.
Baa-baa
This is the latest in a series of disputes over nursery rhymes.
There were complaints in 2006 about pre-school children attending two nurseries in Oxfordshire being taught "Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep".
Last year, a story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale was turned down by a government agency's awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims.
A digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".
However, a study in 2004 showed that nursery rhymes exposed children to far more violent incidents than an average evening watching television - including Humpty Dumpty's serious head injury.

Bodmin Gaol

HANNON says:

August 1, 2009 at 3:58 pm

Hi me and my mum,sister,stepdad went to the jail i was looking in james holderman i think that was his name the one who killed his wife with the iron i said when i was standing there “james your evil” and a mini sec later i herd a deep breth bt my face. and i have two other experiances happen in a girl named sara her jail cell i was feeling depresed when in there and i did what most haunted to when u wistle a tune and they should wistle back and em and my lil sis was in there the first time i did it and there was a fain copy of the wistle i did in the left hand side of the room so i told my mum to come in and before we went in there the second time she would not go in there, so swe went up to the man in fancy dress and my mum had siad to him ” you know that jail cell with the metal door on the second floor” the man smiled and replied yes she said i could not step into that room at all and he said that was a lady called sara that was her cell she is not trying to make u not want to go in there she wants u to go in there to help her she is afraid of men. anyways we where in the cell me my mum and my 6 yr old sister and i wistled for a second time and she relpied but not a short one like i did it sounded like a wimper wistle and i felt really upstet. and the last experance i had was when we was up in the 5th floor and i could hear people wistling again but i was not wistling so i listend carful and they were what sound like to me wistling jingle bells but we went to the man again and said y on the 5th floor can u hear people wistling when u where up on the 5th floor when what u can see is like rubble on the floor there was no roof or rooms and then when i walked down the sairs it followed you. and he smiled gain and said that is one of the spirits that i comunicate with there and he senses that you have a open mind or belive in ghosts and spirits so he is trying to talk with you. so if that helps any one who reads this and has experanced the same thing it is to prove u did hear it or feel it xxx KEEP BELIVING BECAUSE IF THEY SENSE U DONT BELIVE THEY WILL NOT PROVE TO U THEY R REAL SO BELIVE,BELIVE,BELIVE

Tavistock farmers' market

Tavistock farmers' market cancelled due to snow and ice

A Saturday farmers' market in Tavistock, Devon, has been cancelled for the first time in nearly a decade.

The ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures led to the decision being made on safety grounds.

The market's manager said for many of the farmers who come from rural areas, road conditions were simply too dangerous.

"It's disappointing, but we didn't want to put anyone at risk," Maria Jones told BBC News.

Ms Jones said it was hoped the next farmers' market would be held on 23 January.

Royal charter

The severe weather has also affected the town's pannier market, which was forced to close on Wednesday and Thursday, again for the first time in at least eight years.

The market was granted a Royal Charter in 1109 and has continued almost without a break for more than 900 years.

Manager Eddie Carruthers said: "It's very unusual, but some traders live out in places like Princetown and they just couldn't get in."

The pannier market has now reopened, but only 35 of the usual traders are operating.

"We're hoping the worst of it is over now, but we'll just have to play it by ear."

Ponies have been put to work on Dartmoor for centuries

Pulling power for Dartmoor ponies

The ponies have special harnesses to pull the trees off the moorland

Twenty-six Dartmoor ponies are being put back to work to help the moorland and increase their own value.

The ponies, owned by local farmers, are being run by Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust at Bellever under a stewardship agreement with the Forestry Commission.

They are grazing the site and trampling the rank grasses to create room and light for sensitive plants.

The ponies have also been given special harnesses to remove spruce trees which have seeded on the open moorland.

Archaeological clearance

"They're just as good as any quad bike - in fact they're better," trust spokeswoman Drew Butterfield said.

"There's no diesel involved, so it's a cleaner, greener way of conserving Dartmoor."

Natural England has awarded a funding grant to the trust to pay for harnessing equipment required to carry the project out over the next 10 years.

The trees will be taken to other areas of the moor, where they will be allowed to rot down naturally and return nutrients to the earth.

Ponies have been put to work on Dartmoor for centuries, but there are now about 1,200 ponies born every year and farmers are not allowed to keep them all.

Some can make as little as £12 when they are sold at market.

"We're looking at lots of different ways to add value because in recent years we've seen prices fall with changes in legislation and horse passports, etc," Ms Butterfield said.

Following meetings with Dartmoor National Park, the herd will also be used to clear thick tussocky grass from important archaeological sites.

Food and water fears for ponies

Grazing land is covered with snow which has then frozen solid

Concerns have been raised that even hardy Dartmoor ponies are suffering during the severe wintry weather.

South West Equine Protection fears the prolonged cold is affecting the ponies, which are known for their resilience in bleak conditions.

With frozen snow covering the moor, some ponies have been seen pulling bark off trees for food.

The charity said, more importantly, water troughs were frozen too solidly for the animals' hooves to break.

There are currently more than 1,000 ponies on the moor, mostly owned by farmers who are battling with the snow and ice to look after their farms and livestock.

The National Farmers' Union said the Dartmoor pony was a tough breed which had survived severe winters in Devon for centuries.

But Louise Cummins from the equine charity said if the current conditions continued, some ponies would have no food or water.

Walkers are being asked to break the ice on frozen water troughs

"I understand the farmers are busy with cattle, sheep and other work on the farm, but all they need to do is pop out a little bit of hay just to keep the ponies going with a small amount of nutrition," she said.

"The ponies need water as a main lifeline - they can survive a couple of days without food, but not without water."

The charity has asked anyone out walking on Dartmoor, or common ground where there are ponies, to check water troughs and if possible break the ice.

long-lost cross on Dartmoor.

Final day reveals cross surprise

By Jemima Laing BBC Devon

Alistair Courtney, archaeological student at City College Plymouth, surveys the medieval stone cross

How do you lose a two-metre tall granite cross for more than 700 years?

You might think it would be fairly difficult, but a team of Plymouth archaeologists has recently found a long-lost cross on Dartmoor.

It is thought that it would have once once served as a Christian waymarker or boundary stone.

The City College team, led by Win Scutt and Ross Dean, stumbled on it while surveying a medieval settlement's ruins on the slopes of Gutter Tor, Dartmoor.

No longer upright, the cross was not identified until the final day of the survey.

"We had assumed it was a gatepost until examining the shape of the stone and the incisions," said Win.

"We were bowled over when we realised what it actually was," he said.

The cross will be left undisturbed on its current site

Although probably unfinished, the cross has been chiselled from a two-metre-long block of granite.

The head of the cross has three arms, while the shaft is decorated with a long, incised channel.

The cross lies close to the ruins of two medieval long houses that date from the same period.

The survey was being carried out as part of a training exercise for students on the University of Plymouth's Foundation Degree in Archaeological Practice.

And the future for the long-hidden part of Dartmoor's history?

"The discovery will be published in an archaeological journal," said Win.

"The cross will be left undisturbed on its current site."

prosecutions under the Hunting Act

Minister Hiliary Benn fights to keep hunting ban

The hunting ban, which came into effect in 2005, remains controversial

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn is launching a campaign to boost support for the fox hunting ban.

Mr Benn is urging people to sign up on a website backing the ban.

He claims the Tories plan to make repeal of the Hunting Act "a priority". Party leader David Cameron has promised MPs a free vote on the issue.

The pro-hunting Countryside Alliance has said today's meets could be the last traditional Boxing Day hunts before the ban is repealed.

Hunting foxes with dogs was outlawed in 2005, although hounds are still allowed to follow a scent or flush out a fox, but not kill it.

'Barbaric act'

Mr Benn's campaign is being launched to coincide with the Boxing Day hunts and is backed by the actors Patrick Stewart, Jenny Seagrove and Tony Robinson.

The environment secretary said: "For David Cameron, getting the act repealed is a priority.

"He used to hunt foxes; he talked about fox hunting in his first ever speech to Parliament; and he has said that if he becomes prime minister he will get rid of the fox hunting ban.

The arguments in favour of repeal simply don't stack up Douglas Batchelor League Against Cruel Sports

"But, like the vast majority of people, I think that the barbaric act of letting dogs tear foxes to pieces shouldn't return to our countryside."

In October, shadow environment secretary Nick Herbert described the hunting ban as "an affront to civil liberties" and "completely unworkable".

He said a Conservative government would consider creating a regulatory body for fox hunting which could work towards "minimising animal suffering".

But Mr Benn insisted Mr Herbert and Mr Cameron's views were indicative of wider Conservative attitudes.

Footage released

"If you think the Tories have changed, their views on fox hunting with dogs make it absolutely clear that their priorities haven't," he added.

Only a small number of prosecutions under the Hunting Act have reached court since 2005, but the League Against Cruel Sports says the arguments in favour of repeal "don't stack up".

The League Against Cruel Sports has released graphic footage which it says reinforces the need for a ban.

It says the footage, filmed before the act came into force, shows "the horrific cruelty" of hunting.

Chief executive Douglas Batchelor said: "The arguments in favour of repeal simply don't stack up and we believe the public has a right to see what the hunting lobby, and some politicians want to bring back.

"The truth of the matter is that hunting is barbaric and cruel and the only purpose it serves is to appease the sick minds of a very small minority who enjoy torturing animals for their own entertainment."

But the Countryside Alliance says the ban is "fundamentally illiberal, based not on principle and evidence but prejudice. Such laws should have no place in a modern, tolerant and free society."

It also insists: "The hunting community stands united and determined to secure repeal and huge support is anticipated this year."

News... Plymouth seeks small woman

News

small woman sought, in plymouth
Saturday, November 28, 2009

She has been seen in Staple Hill at the blue Sky cafe, she is being sought in relation to her activity with various men in the westcountry,

Mr. Colin Pugh said, "I would love to see this

woman get what she deserves.

Motorists stranded, homes flooded, roads closed as rains hit Plymouth

News

Motorists stranded, homes flooded, roads closed as rains hit Plymouth

Saturday, November 28, 2009

PLYMOUTH is bracing itself for further downpours as it counts the cost of a weekend during which it was the wettest city in the UK.

More than 20mm of rain fell in a six-hour period on Saturday leaving shops and homes flooded and people stranded in their cars.

In...

(42)

Woman, 60, dies after falling into river

Sunday, November 29, 2009

A WOMAN has died after falling into a river swollen by heavy rain that caused floods across the Westcountry over the weekend. Paula Deacon, 58, fell...

(9)

A38 closed after pedestrian is killed

Saturday, November 28, 2009

A MAN was killed in an accident on the A38 at South Brent at the weekend. The incident happened at about 3.25am on Saturday by the South Brent...

natural

Higher Longford Park Wild Life Report

Situated in agricultural land on the western edge of Dartmoor, Higher Longford is an ideal place to start exploring Dartmoor's wildlife. Managed with wildlife in mind, projects such as tree planting and wild flower meadow creation are ongoing. Many areas are left to grow wild and support abundant wild flowers, butterflies and birds in the summer months.

Large hedgebanks with a variety of native trees such as alder, ash, filed maple, hazel, hawthorn and holly surround the site. The hedgebanks are good places to look for woodland plants such as bluebells, primrose, honeysuckle and wild strawberry, whilst the meadow areas are good for foxglove, ox-eye daisy, yarrow and black knapweed. Plants attract insects which in turn draw in the many farmland bird species found here (use Dartmoor pocket guide - Farmland Birds and Farmland Plants - to help with identification).

generations of Drakes at Buckland Abbey.

I was first taken to visit Dartmoor by a very nice friend and his dog Sheena,It was early spring, not many people about that time of year, I was not very impressed at firstI felt sorry for the horses and ponies, they looked so lonely and cold although I supposethey are used to it.I went again in the summer, it was lovely! I wanted to go every week ,it was lovely and Iwent every week after that, lots of people,ice cream vans, coffee shops, I really loved it,Ihope Ican go again one day if I am lucky. Janet Khan.

Dartmoor Zoo

This article by Benjamin Mee, one of the Directors at Dartmoor Zoo, written for the Guardian describes what he went through to preserve the Zoo. Benjamin Mee, unaware of the grim living conditions, creditors and escaped big cat that lay in wait ...