Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Cancer Trial, Set to Pay USD 289 Million in Damages.

Monsanto Loses Landmark Roundup Cancer Trial, Set to Pay USD 289 Million in Damages. Monsanto has lost a landmark cancer trial in San Francisco and has been ordered by the Judge to pay over USD 289 Million in total damages to the former school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson, a California father who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which was caused by Monsanto’s glyphosate-based weedkiller Roundup.

Monsanto sued small farmers to protect seed patents.

Monsanto sued small farmers to protect seed patents, report says.The agricultural giant Monsanto has sued hundreds of small farmers in the United States in recent years in attempts to protect its patent rights on genetically engineered seeds that it produces and sells, a new report said on Tuesday. The study, produced jointly by the Center for Food Safety and the Save Our Seeds campaigning groups, has outlined what it says is a concerted effort by the multinational to dominate the seeds industry in the US and prevent farmers from replanting crops they have produced from Monsanto seeds. In its report, called Seed Giants vs US Farmers, the CFS said it had tracked numerous law suits that Monsanto had brought against farmers and found some 142 patent infringement suits against 410 farmers and 56 small businesses in more than 27 states. In total the firm has won more than $23m from its targets, the report said.

MSME to get N10m collateral-free loans.

MSME to get N10m collateral-free loans.Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, says the Federal Government is working towards providing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) a credit facility of N2 million to N10 million without collateral. Osibanjo made the disclosure on Wednesday at a dinner/ maiden edition of the MSMEs Award 2018 held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja. The awards packaged by the Office of the Vice-President and supported by the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, got over 300 nominations across the nation. Osinbajo had in 2017 launched the MSME Clinic as part of efforts to encourage the contributions of MSMEs to Nigeria’s economic growth. The acting president said he was delighted to reward and recognise outstanding MSME as they represent remarkable examples of Nigerian entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. According to him, efforts are underway to double government’s commitment to ensuring that MSME find an enabling environment to thrive. He said that in addition to the one-stop-shop launched in some states to carry the MSME clinics intervention, the Federal Government would soon launch its shared facilities for MSMEs initiative. Osinbajo said the initiative would be in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC). “This initiatives will provide MSME access to fully equipped cluster style facilities for which they can pay an affordable fee to operate. “These facilities would have been pre-certified by relevant agencies like NAFDAC, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and NEPC thereby removing the layers of bureaucracy that in the past held back many aspiring entrepreneurs.

AGRIBUSINESS :Building A Globally Competitive Economy Through MSMEs Using Garri As A Point Of Reference.

AGRIBUSINESS :Building A Globally Competitive Economy Through MSMEs Using Garri As A Point Of Reference. Echbee foods,the indigenous garri themed company was at the NASME(National Association of Small and medium enterprises fair held on 2/8/18. 

 AGRIBUSINESS :Building A Globally Competitive Economy Through MSMEs Using Garri As A Point Of Reference. Garri is a staple food in Nigeria, affordable and easily accessible, creating a source of employment for millions of people and also a means of foreign collaborations.

 Echbee foods has changed the paradigm with garri,churning out healthy,wholesome snacks and meals. Echbee foods turns ordinary garri into extraordinary snacks and food. Echbee foods show cased garri flakes, packed garri with milk, sugar and groundnut. Innovative products made from garri and showcased are 1) garri fish fingers. 2)garri shawarma 3) garri fish fingers 4)garri peanut puff puff 5)garri akara and garri pancake with sauce. AGRIBUSINESS :Building A Globally Competitive Economy Through MSMEs Using Garri As A Point Of Reference.

Cows and pigs are great livestock, but they can also make you really sick

Cows and pigs are great livestock, but they can also make you really sick.Sometimes in this world, it’s the little things that can cause the most problems. Really, really little things. This is especially true for anyone working around or with livestock in Maine, according to Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner, director of the University of Maine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and associate professor of animal and veterinary science. Some farm animals can actually “share” parasites with their human companions. “There are actually just a handful of parasites that I worry about,” Lichtenwalner said. “These are critters that are parasites that can live inside you and tend not to be fatal, but that can cause some ugly surprises.” The two most common zoonotic parasites — those that can transfer from animals to humans — in Maine are Ascaris suum and Cryptosporidium. “You are protected by your innate and acquired immune system,”

How animal parasites find a home in humans.

How animal parasites find a home in humans. There has been a lot of buzz recently about a video shared by Oregon woman Abby Beckley, who describes removing worms from her eye. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a case report documenting Beckley’s infection as the first human case of the cattle eyeworm Thelazia gulosa. We certainly feel for Beckley having to go through this ordeal, and without a doubt, felt our skin crawl just thinking about it. But aside from the “creep” factor of this case, it does makes us wonder how a cow parasite ever ended up in a human eye. And it begs the more fundamental question: How are animal parasites able to infect humans? To answer this question, we need to understand more about parasites and their ecology. As a veterinarian and disease ecologist, my research examines what ecological factors influence the emergence of zoonoses — diseases that spread from animals to humans. The case of the cattle eyeworms is certainly intriguing. Transmission of parasites from one host to another can occur through several routes, depending on where the parasite resides in the host and how it is shed, for example through feces, blood or other bodily secretions. Direct contact, consumption of contaminated water or food (Cryptosporidium, Giardia), or via a vector like a tick or mosquito are all possible. Parasitic infections transmitted from animals to humans have occurred naturally throughout history.

Bacteria carried by unneutered dogs could put pregnant women at risk.

Bacteria carried by unneutered dogs could put pregnant women at risk. Intact dogs can carry Brucella canis bacteria, which can cause flu-like symptoms in people and pose risk to a pregnancy, according to a study in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Brucellosis infections can cause miscarriages in animals and are associated with fetal problems in pregnant women, and the CDC says pregnant women who may have been exposed to the bacteria should consult their health care provider. A bacteria carried by dogs that haven't been neutered can produce flu symptoms in humans and potentially jeopardize a pregnancy, a new study suggests. Brucellosis infection is most commonly spread by livestock like sheep, cattle, goats and pigs. But a strain of the bacterium carried by dogs -- Brucella canis -- could be widespread in humans, warned lead researcher Martha Hensel, a veterinarian with Texas A&M University. B. canis is carried by dogs that can still reproduce, Hensel noted. It's not clear exactly how the bacteria might spread to humans, but it's most likely passed through contact with reproductive organs or urine. People who regularly handle such dogs -- vets, dog shelter employees, dog breeders -- are most at risk for contracting brucellosis, Hensel said. However, pet ownership is a likely risk factor for infection, particularly for young children and people with compromised immune systems, Hensel and her colleagues explained. The researchers highlighted some case studies: 1) A 3-year-old New York City girl came down with brucellosis in 2012 after exposure to an infected puppy recently purchased from a pet store. 2)Several people with HIV have developed brucellosis in recent years, all linked to intact dogs they owned that were later diagnosed with B. canis infection. more