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Sunday, August 17, 2025

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https://nordictimes.com/environment/study-1500-cows-to-be-kept-inside-for-18-months/

Environment

Study: 1500 cows to be kept inside for 18 months

Published 29 April 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Current grazing rules for cows are said to have a negative impact on self-sufficiency.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

1500 cows will be kept indoors for 18 months to study how they are affected. One of the reasons for this is that the Swedish Farmers’ Union (LRF) has been working for some time to remove the grazing rights that exist in Sweden for cows, and together with Växa Sverige has succeeded in obtaining approval for the study from the Uppsala Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee.

Already in 2021, the association Växa Sverige together with LRF applied to start a study to investigate how it affected 2500 cows to be kept inside for a longer period, even during the grazing period. The application was made to the Gothenburg Animal Experimentation Ethics Board, which immediately stopped the project. The motivation for this was that it was noted that it was already known that cows benefit from being outdoors, through previous research, and that it was therefore not justified to expose the animals to suffering in order to investigate something that was already known, and which could not contribute to improvements for animals in the future.

In January this year, a new application was submitted, but this time to the Uppsala Animal Experimentation Ethics Board, where the number of cows was reduced to 1500. The study would involve the cows being indoors 24 hours a day for 18 months. The purpose has been stated to be to “investigate whether, and if so how, the welfare of dairy cows changes month by month during an 18-month period of housing”, writes Djurskyddet, which has taken note of the application.

The reasoning is that the study should be carried out because Sweden should increase its self-sufficiency in dairy products, but that current grazing rules have a negative impact in some cases. While the Board said that “the benefits of the study could outweigh the suffering of the animals”, it also considered that “the applicant does not convincingly demonstrate this” and therefore rejected the application.

In April, a third application was made, this time to the Uppsala Animal Experimentation Ethics Board, where, at the Board’s request, the application was amended and made more specific.

The application has now been approved, which means that 1500 cows on Swedish farms will be kept indoors in loose housing for 18 months, including during the summer months. Seven herds have currently been recruited, says Växa Sverige in a press release. These are located in Västra Götaland, Jönköping, Kalmar, Gävleborg and Uppsala counties. They will then see how the cows are affected by this and predict that this will have a major impact on Sweden’s future milk production.

– As the person in charge of the study, I am pleased that the Board has thoroughly examined our application and reached the same conclusions as we did about the current lack of knowledge, says Fredrik von Unge, Vana’s trial manager.

For some time now, Sweden has had a law that allows cows to come out during the summer and have so-called “grazing rights”. As early as 2020, LRF started a campaign against removing the cows’ ability to graze and argued that they should instead be kept indoors, as reported by Natursidan. The association has been heavily criticized for this, with organic farmers saying it was “shameful”. Even the Christian Democrats and the Moderates have, for example, in a survey from Djurskyddet in 2022, responded that they are in favor of abolishing the grazing right.

– We hope that the study provides a clear and scientific basis for good animal husbandry throughout the year. For one thing we have known for a long time: healthy and well-behaved animals produce more and better, says Peter Kofoed, head of LRF Mjölk.

The results of the study are expected to be available in 2024.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/environment/the-best-seasonal-produce-to-enjoy-in-august/

Environment

The best seasonal produce to enjoy in August

Published today 12:59
– By Editorial Staff
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Summer is slowly coming to an end – but in August, both gardens and nature are flourishing. Now everything from apples and zucchini to chanterelles and blueberries is being harvested, and it’s now that many ingredients are at their very best.

August is the prime harvest month in Northern Europe – gardens, allotments, and forest edges are overflowing with fruit, vegetables, and berries. This is when flavors peak, as produce has had time to ripen naturally under the long summer days. Here are some of the nutritious foods harvested across Northern Europe in August.

Apples

Some apples can usually be harvested in August. Among others, the varieties Discovery, Alice, Transparente Blanche, according to ICA (Swedish grocery chain). Sure, it’s nice to buy Swedish apples in the store, but if a neighbor or friend has an apple tree, maybe it’s worth asking if it’s okay to pick some without extra detours…

Cabbage varieties

Cabbage can easily be attacked by pests during cultivation, but if you’ve managed to avoid them, it’s now that you can usually harvest many cabbage varieties. Broccoli and cauliflower are, for example, nutrient-dense vegetables that can be harvested in August. Broccoli contains more vitamin C, vitamin K, protein, iron and calcium compared to cauliflower, but both are good sources of fiber and also B vitamins.

August is also the main time you can find locally grown fennel in stores. It’s a crisp vegetable with a distinctive anise and licorice flavor, used both raw and cooked. Try it thinly sliced in salads or roasted in the oven. Fennel seeds are also a common bread spice.

Also, among others, white cabbage, black kale, napa cabbage and pointed cabbage are usually harvested in August.

Cucumber

The long cucumber is a popular greenhouse crop in Northern Europe, often eaten raw in salads or on sandwiches. Smaller pickling cucumbers are also common for preserves. Since cucumbers are very frost-sensitive, August is prime harvest time.

Zucchini

Zucchini can often be harvested as early as July, but in August the plants usually produce an abundance. It’s an excellent cooking vegetable, perfect for dishes like lasagna. Zucchini is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Cherries

Right now cherries are growing in large numbers in gardens across Northern Europe, notes among others the magazine Land (Swedish agricultural publication). However, they are not sold on a large scale in stores, but even in these cases it can pay off to check with the neighbor if it’s okay to pick a handful or two since they in many cases otherwise remain unpicked. In the refrigerator, the berries can keep for several weeks. Cherries are rich in antioxidants and also contain some vitamin C as well as potassium.

Radish and celery

The root vegetable daikon radish (similar to large radishes) can be used in all types of cooking, from stews to oven-roasted dishes. It’s also a key ingredient in the fermented Korean dish kimchi. Celery is also harvested in August, rich in vitamins and minerals, and tasty both raw and cooked.

Out in the forest…

It’s not only gardens that provide Northern Europe’s seasonal produce – nature offers treasures too. Right now is peak season for golden chanterelles, and wild raspberries can also be harvested (just watch out for larvae that sometimes hide in ripe berries). It’s also the season for the northern delicacy cloudberries, and of course, blueberries.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

produc

https://nordictimes.com/environment/new-study-of-national-park-wolves-helped-nature-recover/

Environment

New study of national park: Wolves helped nature recover

Biodiversity

Published today 9:43
– By Editorial Staff
A wolf in Yellowstone National Park during 2016.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park has contributed to an ecological recovery after decades of damage to plant and animal life. Now a new study shows that the park’s aspen populations are finally beginning to reestablish themselves – apparently thanks to the predator’s impact on the ecosystem.

During the 1930s, wolves were completely eradicated from Yellowstone National Park in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. This had major consequences for the ecosystem – as the deer population increased dramatically and began grazing intensively in the park. This led to a sharp decline in trees like aspens. Aspen is considered a keystone species in the park, and its decline affected other species that depend on the deciduous trees, including beavers, insects and birds.

In the 1990s, wolves were reintroduced to the park, which immediately changed the deer’s behavior – not only by taking some as prey, but primarily by causing the deer to stop grazing for long periods in the same places. The result was that vegetation recovered, which has had a major effect on biodiversity.

Remarkable change

Now researchers have documented the first new generation of aspens in the park. In the study, which was published in Forest Ecology and Management, researchers argue that the wolf’s return has contributed to the species’ recovery.

— The reintroduction of large carnivores has initiated a recovery process that had been shut down for decades, says the study’s lead author Luke Painter, who teaches ecology and conservation at OSU College of Agricultural Sciences, in a press release. About a third of the 87 aspen stands we examined had large numbers of tall saplings throughout, a remarkable change from the 1990s when surveys found none at all.

Another third of the examined stands had areas with tall saplings that were growing up to become new trees in the canopy layer, while the rest were still being held back by grazing. Researchers believe this may be due to bison increasing in certain parts of the park. The fact that stands with many tall saplings have low levels of grazing, while others continue to be held back, suggests that aspen recovery depends on an ecological chain reaction where predators affect plant life by reducing the number of grazing animals – rather than on factors like climate or soil fertility.

— This is a remarkable case of ecological restoration, says Painter. Wolf reintroduction is yielding long-term ecological changes contributing to increased biodiversity and habitat diversity.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/radioactive-method-ready-for-use-against-poaching/

Environment

Radioactive method ready for use against poaching

Biodiversity

Published 11 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Rhinos are being injected with radioactive material.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

After an extended testing period, the Rhisotope project in South Africa is now in full operation. The technology, which makes rhino horns both traceable and unattractive to poachers, can now be used on a large scale.

It was in June last year that researchers injected radioactive material into the horns of 20 rhinos in South Africa. The project, called the Rhisotope Project and led by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) in South Africa, began six years ago with the idea of stopping poaching of the endangered rhinos. The concept was that the radioactive material should be detectable at border controls, but also becomes toxic to consume. Furthermore, the radioactive material should be harmless to the rhinos.

Now the project has been thoroughly tested and reached full operational status, writes Wits University in a press release.

— We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems, says James Larkin, professor at Wits University and scientific director of the Rhisotope Project.

Sold as “medicine”

Rhino poaching is a recurring problem, particularly in South Africa. Last year, 420 rhinos were killed illegally in the country, where the horns often end up on the black market. They are often sold as medicine and can be worth more than gold. The treatment is carried out by sedating the rhino and then drilling a small hole in its horn. Two small isotopes with radioactive material are then inserted.

This means in practice that private and public rhino owners, non-governmental organizations and conservation authorities can contact the Rhisotope Project to treat their rhinos with the radioactive material.

— Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa’s most iconic and threatened species. By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage, says Jessica Babich, CEO of the Rhisotope Project.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/environment/swedish-crayfish-threatened-with-extinction/

Environment

Swedish crayfish threatened with extinction

Biodiversity

Published 10 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
From 30,000 population to under 600 – the noble crayfish is critically endangered.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Crayfish plague continues to devastate Sweden’s native noble crayfish. In just a few decades, populations have plummeted from around 30,000 to fewer than 600 – and the trend continues downward.

The biggest culprit is illegal releases of non-native signal crayfish, which are themselves heavily fished and can also be affected by the disease.

The signal crayfish, which spreads the disease, has increased dramatically and today exists in between 10,000 and 15,000 populations. In Värmland, a province in western Sweden, illegal releases have been documented in as many as 239 bodies of water between 2000 and 2024.

— Noble crayfish populations in Värmland and Dalsland were 430 in the early 2000s; today only 60 remain, says Lennart Edsman, crayfish expert and researcher at the Freshwater Laboratory at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), to Swedish news agency TT.

When August and crayfish season arrives, the question arises of which species the environmentally conscious consumer should choose for their crayfish party.

— You should eat noble crayfish if you can afford it. That gives them value that makes them worth protecting. And you should eat signal crayfish too, but absolutely not spread them, Edsman believes.

Imports worth hundreds of millions

Swedes eat far more crayfish than the country can produce. Between 70 and 80 percent of the crayfish on tables are imported. In 2023, imports amounted to a value of €40 million, while Swedish crayfish were sold for €27 million.

Previously, the largest portion of imports came from China, but today Spain, Turkey and also Egypt dominate the Swedish market.

Most Swedish-caught crayfish are signal crayfish, with a large share coming from lakes Vättern and Hjälmaren in central Sweden. Recently, however, many consumers have complained that the crayfish have become smaller.

— This is partly because fishing has been too intensive. There is great demand for crayfish in this country. Sweden is quite extreme when it comes to crayfish consumption, Edsman explains.

The signal crayfish originates from western North America, as does crayfish plague – a parasitic algae fungus. Although the species is more resistant than the noble crayfish, it is not immune to the disease.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

How the signal crayfish took over

The signal crayfish originally comes from western North America and was introduced to Sweden in the 1960s as a way to replace the noble crayfish, which had been severely affected by crayfish plague at the time. The idea was to preserve crayfish fishing and its economic benefits, since the signal crayfish is more resistant to the disease than the noble crayfish.

The problem is that the signal crayfish carries the very crayfish plague – a parasitic water mold – that is deadly to the noble crayfish. Although the invasive species itself can be affected, it is significantly more resilient, which means it functions as a disease carrier and accelerates the decline of the noble crayfish.

Since its introduction, the signal crayfish has spread rapidly and is now found in between 10,000 and 15,000 populations across Sweden. Many of these have resulted from illegal releases. The consequence is that the noble crayfish has declined from around 30,000 populations to fewer than 600 throughout the country.

N

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