Eco-terrorists Threaten New Zealand’s Milk

New Zealand police revealed today that since November, they have been investigating threats to contaminate baby formula with a concentrated form of sodium fluoroacetate called 1080, unless the government stops using the poison for pest control. The threats were sent to a large dairy cooperative and a farm lobby. The government beefed up security on the retail end and has been assiduously testing the products, which have come up clean, according to the police.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture livestock study center in Nebraska won’t be allowed to do any more research projects until the center improves the conditions of the animals there, it was announced Monday.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said at a press conference that stronger oversight and higher training standards will be put in place at the center, which studies ways to improve profits for the country’s agricultural sector.

Two potato-farming brothers from North Dakota were sentenced to prison Monday and ordered to pay close to $1 million in restitution in connection with December convictions on charges they destroyed their crops in order to illegally collect federal farm insurance payouts. Aaron Johnson, who was deemed more culpable, was sentenced to four years in prison, while his brother, Derek Johnson, received a 1½ year sentence.

Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts, recently announced it will be phasing out titanium dioxide, which is used as a whitening agent for the powdered sugar on some of its products, over health concerns about the ingredient.

We’ll see you back here tomorrow for more food and farming news from around the Web.