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Category: Fisheries

  • MIL-OSI USA: Smith, Feenstra Urge USTR to Improve Market Access for U.S. Agricultural Products in India

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE)

    Washington, DC — Last week, Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) led a letter to United States Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India. 

    In their letter, the lawmakers wrote:

    India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.

    …

    President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India.

    The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.

    This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports.

    Read the full letter here.

    Additional members who signed the letter include: Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), Tracey Mann (R-KS), Derek Schmidt (R-KS), Tony Wied (R-WI), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Mike Flood (R-NE), Ron Estes (R-KS), Mike Carey (R-OH), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Max Miller (R-OH), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Brad Finstad (R-MN), and Mark Messmer (R-IN)

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lowndes County Men Sentenced in OCDETF Drug Trafficking Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    According to court documents, Charles Stephen Farrar, Jr., of Columbus, Mississippi, pled guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District to Mississippi to trafficking methamphetamine. Farrar was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to over 11 years in prison for the charge. He was further sentenced to four years supervised release following his release from prison.

    William Lyon, of Columbus, Mississippi, also pled guilty in the drug trafficking scheme. Lyons was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen H. Davidson on Monday to five years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine. He was further sentenced to four years supervised release following his release from prison.

    “The sentences imposed by Judge Davidson should provide notice to drug dealers that there are consequences to selfishly peddling poison within their communities,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.  “We are proud of the partnership with DEA, ATF, and our invaluable state and local allies at the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics and the Lowndes County SO that has allowed us to remove illegal narcotics, and those who sell them, from our midst.”

    “Methamphetamine tears lives apart. This sentencing, a result of dedicated work by our special agents and law enforcement partners, ensures these traffickers are held accountable for the damage they inflicted on Mississippi,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Anessa Daniels-McCaw.

    “This sentencing is the result of outstanding work and coordination by our local, state and federal partners,” said Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell. “I commend the efforts of all the agencies involved for their dedication to ensuring justice is served and for their continued commitment to keeping our communities safe.”

    “The ATF is working closely with local and state police agencies to combat the scourge of deadly illegal drugs in our communities,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “The sentence imposed yesterday sends a message that we will continue to focus efforts on repeat offenders so we can remove more violent criminals from our streets and keep our neighborhoods safe as the top priority for ATF.”

    The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Clyde McGee prosecuted the case.

    This investigation and resulting case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    This case is also a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Houston deports 142 criminal aliens to Mexico in past 2 weeks who as a group have been convicted of 473 crimes, illegally entered US 480 times

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    June 3, 2025Houston, TX, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

    Among the aliens removed were 8 gang members, 11 convicted child predators, and a criminal alien who illegally entered US 21 times

    HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 142 criminal aliens from the Houston area to Mexico in the past two weeks who have illegally entered the United States a combined 480 times and been convicted of 473 criminal offenses. Among the criminal aliens deported to Mexico from May 19 to May 30 were eight documented gang members, 11 convicted child predators, and a criminal alien who has illegally entered the U.S. 21 times.

    “Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “For the past few years, there was virtually no deterrent to illegally entering the country. As a result, millions of illegal aliens poured into the country including violent criminal aliens, child predators, transnational gang members and foreign fugitives. Many of these dangerous criminal aliens went on to prey on law-abiding residents in local communities right here in Southeast Texas and we’re laser focused on identifying them and removing them from the country before they harm anyone else. This is just a small snapshot of those efforts as it only focuses on deportations to one country over the course of a two-week period, but it gives you an idea of how big this problem really is.”

    Among the more egregious criminal aliens deported by the ICE ERO Houston field office were:

    • Inocencio Juan Bustamante-Rodriguez, a 35-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, deported to Mexico May 28, who has illegally entered the U.S. 16 times and been convicted of illegal entry four times and illegal reentry twice.
    • Luis Angel Garcia-Contreras, a 40-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and documented Surenos 13 gang member, deported to Mexico May 29, who has illegally entered the U.S. 21 times and been convicted of illegal entry four times.
    • Cesar Daniel Lobato Perez, a 24-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, deported to Mexico May 28, who has been convicted of arson, aggravated assault causing bodily injury and driving while intoxicated.
    • Elias Magana Aguilar, a 48-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, deported to Mexico May 28, who has illegally entered the U.S. six times and been convicted of trespassing, deadly conduct and two DWIs.
    • Marco Antonio Salazar-Rojas, a 25-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, deported to Mexico May 29, who has illegally entered the U.S. 12 times and been convicted of human smuggling and possession of illicit narcotics.
    • Jose Antonio Mauricio-Rodriquez, a 32-year-old criminal alien and documented Paisas gang member, deported to Mexico May 27, who has illegally entered the U.S. 11 times and been convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence, failure to provide an ID to law enforcement, failure to report to his parole officer, and illegal reentry twice.
    • Benito Charqueno Zavala, a 60-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and convicted child predator, deported to Mexico May 21, who has been convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
    • Johnny Urbina Carillo, a 37-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and convicted child predator, deported to Mexico May 20, who has illegally entered the U.S. twice and been convicted of sexually exploiting a minor, cocaine possession and illegal reentry.
    • Jorge Arturo Silva-Solano, a 35-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, who was deported to Mexico May 19 and has illegally entered the U.S. 11 times and been convicted three times for criminal mischief and illegal reentry, twice for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and once for DWI, trespassing, illegal entry, failure to provide an ID to law enforcement, public intoxication and failure to appear.
    • Alejandro Aguilar Vazquez, a 45-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, deported to Mexico May 19, who has illegally entered the U.S. 19 times and been convicted three times of cruelty towards a child and DWI, and once for filing a false report and illegal entry.

    Among the crimes that the deported aliens have been convicted of were:

    • 11 convictions for child sex offenses.
    • 76 convictions for DWI.
    • 30 convictions for burglary, larceny or theft-related offenses.
    • 21 convictions for weapons offenses.
    • 43 aggravated assault, domestic violence-related convictions.
    • 48 drug trafficking or drug possession-related convictions.
    • 22 convictions for human trafficking or human smuggling.
    • 99 convictions for illegal entry or illegal reentry.
    • 26 convictions for resisting arrest, obstruction, and evading arrest-related offenses.
    • 14 convictions for fraud or extortion-related offenses.
    • 10 convictions for trespassing or criminal mischief.
    • 3 convictions for property crime offenses.
    • 4 convictions for hit-and-run.
    • 3 convictions for animal cruelty.
    • 3 convictions for child cruelty.
    • 1 conviction for engaging in organized crime.
    • 1 conviction for money laundering.
    • 1 conviction for making terroristic threats.
    • 54 miscellaneous criminal offenses (public order crimes, public intoxication, etc.).

    For more news and information on ICE’s efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws in Texas follow us on X at @EROHouston.

    For additional videos and photos of ICE arrests, deportations and operations visit us at our DVIDS page at: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/ICE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: One green sea turtle can contain the equivalent of 10 ping pong balls in plastic

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Xia (Alice) Zhu, Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, Ocean Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland

    Sea turtles can ingest dangerous amounts of plastic. (Shutterstock)

    Thousands to millions of tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually, but where they end up is poorly understood.

    Scientists have been working to assemble the pieces of the puzzle for years, including estimating the size of the reservoir of plastic on the ocean surface, in the water column and in the deep ocean. However, marine animals are often overlooked.

    All animals can be reservoirs of plastic pollution, but to understand just how much ocean plastic pollution is stored in ocean life, we used sea turtles as a case study.

    Sea turtles ingest plastic debris of a variety of shapes and sizes, which can include pre-production pellets, foam, plastic bags, sheets, fishing gear and food wrappers. Their ingestion of plastic can come with a slew of negative impacts, some of which include starvation, emaciation and damage to the gut lining. Sea turtles can also become entangled in plastic nets and rope.

    Scripps News reports on the impacts of plastic pollution on sea turtles.

    Vulnerable species

    We focused on sea turtles because we know they’re impacted by plastics and are vulnerable to a changing ocean. Six out of the seven species of sea turtles are categorized as either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

    To estimate how much plastic resides within sea turtles, we built a model using data on plastic ingestion in sea turtles and factors we suspected may predict how much plastic a turtle eats. That includes geographical, socio-economic and ecological factors.

    We estimated the size of the global reservoir for female green turtles because we had the most data for that group.

    We estimate that approximately 60 tonnes of plastic debris reside within female green turtles at any given time. This is roughly the equivalent of a garbage truck’s worth of plastic pollution.

    Based on our findings, we also predicted that an individual green turtle can contain up to 26.4 grams of plastic on average, the equivalent mass of 10 ping pong balls.

    Predicting ingestion

    Where a turtle lives matters. We found that sea turtles who forage closer to the equator are more likely to accumulate plastic debris. Furthermore, turtles that forage nearby countries with a lower socio-economic status are likely to eat more plastic, as socio-economic status is related to waste management.

    We also found that species-specific characteristics, including body size and foraging strategy — where and how a turtle identifies and retrieves food — play a role.

    Loggerhead turtles forage in the open ocean for the first seven to 15 years of their lives.
    (Shutterstock)

    For instance, loggerhead turtles are carnivores and forage in the open ocean for the first seven to 15 years of their lives before migrating to nearshore coastal areas.

    In contrast, leatherback turtles spend most of their lives in the open ocean and feed on a diet of soft-bodied prey, including jellyfish and salps. This makes it easy for them to mistake balloons as food.

    Green turtles, on the other hand, primarily feed on algae and sea grasses, spending only three to five years in the open ocean before relocating to shallow coastal areas where they remain for the rest of their lives.

    These different behaviours of sea turtles, along with their body size, influence where and how turtles are exposed to plastic debris and how much plastic can fit inside a turtle’s stomach at any given time.

    Understanding what factors predict plastic ingestion is important for pinpointing which species are most at risk: we found that leatherback turtles have the greatest propensity for ingesting plastic debris.

    Future work

    Sea turtles are impacted by a changing ocean, and our plastic waste is part of that change. The relatively consistent load of plastic in sea turtles raises questions about risk.

    Thousands to millions of tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean annually.
    (Shutterstock)

    Relevant to our study, the next step is to try to understand how the plastic reservoir varies among other species. What is the total amount stored in global marine animals at any one time?

    In addition, could sea turtles and marine animals in general be transporting plastic debris around as they move, essentially acting as conveyor belts of plastic throughout the ocean?

    Call to action

    In order to answer these questions, we need more data for sea turtles and other species. We call for further monitoring of sea turtles to improve future modelling efforts and to inform risk. We also call for further monitoring of other species, and recommend standardized reporting practices and greater data transparency.

    We hope our findings demonstrate the value of monitoring to address knowledge gaps pertaining to the cycling of plastic in the environment. This knowledge, in turn, could help inform a Global Plastics Treaty.

    We also hope our work can inform direct actions to protect sea turtles from the effects of plastics, and reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean.

    Xia (Alice) Zhu receives funding from the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.

    Chelsea Rochman receives funding from NSERC, ECCC, DFO.

    Matthew Mazloff receives funding from NASA, NOAA, NSF, UCSD.

    – ref. One green sea turtle can contain the equivalent of 10 ping pong balls in plastic – https://theconversation.com/one-green-sea-turtle-can-contain-the-equivalent-of-10-ping-pong-balls-in-plastic-256630

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Can kelp forests help tackle climate change?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Jennifer McHenry, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Victoria

    Countries around the world are increasingly turning to nature to help alleviate the impacts of climate change. Forests, grasslands and wetlands are already considered as “natural climate solutions.” Now, some scientists are asking: could kelp forests be part of the solution too?

    As some of the fastest growing species on Earth, kelp form lush underwater forests along temperate coastlines. In addition to supporting marine biodiversity, sustaining fisheries and contributing to local economics and livelihoods, kelp forests also absorb carbon. But their role in climate change mitigation remains uncertain.

    In the first national assessment of Canada’s kelp forests, our research team set out to estimate how much carbon these ecosystems might be capturing and storing in the ocean, and whether that carbon stays out of the atmosphere long enough to be considered a natural climate solution.

    To tackle this question, we assembled a national kelp forest database, including satellite and aerial maps, kelp productivity measurements and ocean current models to estimate how much kelp carbon actually leaves the continental shelf.

    This study is part of a national research effort being led by researchers at the University of Victoria called Blue Carbon Canada, which was funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Oceans North and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to investigate how Canada’s “blue carbon” could fit into its national climate mitigation strategy. Our team included 22 kelp researchers and experts from 14 academic institutions, government agencies and NGOs from Canada, the United States and Australia.



    Read more:
    Why some of British Columbia’s kelp forests are in more danger than others

    Measuring kelp carbon

    The carbon absorbed by trees, peatlands and seagrasses typically gets locked away for decades or longer. However, when kelp dies or breaks apart, instead of storing the carbon in the ground, much of it is released back into the ocean. Depending on the conditions, some of it sinks. Some of it washes back to shore. Some gets eaten and and fuels coastal food webs.

    Only a small fraction settles in coastal seafloor sediments or makes it far enough offshore to reach deep water, where it’s more likely to stay out of the atmosphere over the long term. Another fraction decomposes and becomes tiny dissolved particles that can circulate on ocean currents below the mixed layer depth for decades to centuries.

    So while protecting and managing kelp forests promotes carbon capture, it may not always directly translate into climate change mitigation.

    Our research found that between 40,000 and 400,000 metric tonnes of carbon per year is likely being captured and exported from Canadian kelp forests to the deep ocean. In terms of carbon dioxide removal, this would be at least comparable to more established natural climate solutions carbon ecosystems in Canada, like tidal marshes and seagrasses, suggesting they merit further consideration.

    It’s a promising number. But the potential role of kelp in Canada’s climate action plans is far from settled.

    Can we count on kelp?

    Our findings are relevant as countries increasingly look to count natural sources of carbon removal in their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Climate Accord, with the idea that better ecosystem management, protection and restoration could all enhance natural carbon sinks.

    Kelp forests have not yet been included in national inventories. However, there has been growing interest in whether better kelp forest management and even restoration could qualify.

    Part of the problem is data. Most countries, including Canada, still lack sufficient information on where their kelp forests are, how productive they are, where that carbon is going in the ecosystem and how these dynamics are changing over space and time. As a result, few countries have been able to assess their kelp forests at national scales.

    There are also unanswered questions about how much kelp forest loss can be prevented under climate change and how much ecosystem restoration could be scaled up to meaningfully contribute to climate change mitigation. Restoration methods for kelp forests, such as green gravel, are being actively developed but remain largely untested.

    Our study provides guidance to help countries overcome some of these challenges. We offer a step-by-step blueprint for developing first kelp carbon estimates from limited data, including data needs and sources and tools for data analysis that acknowledge data uncertainties.

    Looking ahead

    Managing and protecting kelp forests is likely to be a low-regret option, meaning that while it might not significantly mitigate climate change, its many other benefits would still outweigh the costs. After all, these ecosystems offer a host of benefits, from supporting fisheries to shoreline protection. Given our findings, they may also have the ability to help tackle climate change.

    But leaning too heavily on kelp before the science is clear could backfire. Overstating its role in climate change mitigation could lead to misplaced confidence and unrealistic expectations. Worse, it could distract from the most important and immediate task: fossil fuel reductions.

    That does not mean kelp’s climate solutions potential should be dismissed. At present, it’s thought that kelp forests and other algae capture and store around 175 million tonnes annually, maybe more given recent research.

    But Canada needs to proceed carefully and invest in closing key knowledge gaps before scaling up plans to include kelp in national carbon accounting. This includes greater public investment in kelp forest mapping, monitoring, high resolution oceanographic modelling and ground-truthing of national estimates.



    Read more:
    Buried kelp: seaweed carried to the deep sea stores more carbon than we thought

    Kelp forests are in trouble

    Overall, a precautionary approach is needed to ensure we don’t miss out on future kelp solutions. That’s because even as interest in kelp grows, these ecosystems are disappearing in many places.

    Kelp restoration methods, like green gravel shown here from the Kelp Rescue Initiative in B.C., are advancing but still in their infancy.
    (Lauren Dykman/University of Victoria)

    In British Columbia, kelp forests have declined in recent decades due to climate change-fuelled marine heatwaves and population booms of sea urchins, which graze on kelp.

    Similar trends have been documented in many parts of the world, from Norway to Tasmania, where lush kelp forests are being replaced by weedy turf algae.

    When kelp forests are lost, the carbon they hold can be released quickly. Export of kelp carbon to the deep ocean and other carbon sinks stops. So instead of helping to slow climate change, their loss could make things much worse.

    Kelp forests will not solve the climate crisis on their own. But our research shows they could be apart of the solution, especially if we act now to fill critical research gaps.

    Today, the most immediate value of kelp forests lies in supporting marine biodiversity, coastal fisheries, and community livelihoods. That alone makes them worth saving.

    Jennifer McHenry receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO),and Oceans North.

    Julia K. Baum receives funding from NSERC, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Oceans North. She is also affiliated as a science advisor with the Kelp Rescue Initiative.

    – ref. Can kelp forests help tackle climate change? – https://theconversation.com/can-kelp-forests-help-tackle-climate-change-257215

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Feenstra, Smith Lead Letter Urging U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to Prioritize Improved Market Access for American Agricultural Exports in India

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Randy Feenstra (IA-04)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, U.S. Reps. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) led a letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Representative urging improved market access for American agricultural exports – specifically U.S. ethanol, distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and soybean meal (SBM) – in India. 

    In their letter, the lawmakers write that “India has publicly expressed its willingness to proceed in high-volume agricultural trade negotiations with the U.S., increasing demand for American farmers. The long-term demand opportunity for DDGS alone could be two million metric tons per year valued at $500 million, which would turn into the second largest export market (behind Mexico). For ethanol, India is already our 3rd largest export destination at 170 million gallons valued at $393 million, however further reducing existing market barriers would allow for over $400 million of additional exports. We are encouraged that the United States and India have been making rapid progress so far in negotiations on reciprocal trade, and are hopeful that farmers throughout the United States can benefit from results in the near future related to exports to India of DDGS and SBM, which comply with its strict non-GMO import restrictions.”

    “President Trump’s America First agenda includes increasing exports of U.S. agriculture products to reduce the trade deficit. Each year, American farmers continue to increase yield per acre with fewer inputs. Since 2010, corn and soybean production have increased by 20 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Unfortunately, commodity prices have dropped by over 30 percent in the past three years, intensifying the need to expand export markets to keep up with increasing supplies. We believe U.S. Ethanol, DDGS, and SBM exports to India represents an easy win for American farmers and will be a terrific way to begin addressing the federal trade deficit through mutually beneficial trade with India,” the lawmakers added.

    The letter is supported by the National Corn Growers Association, the American Soybean Association, the Iowa Corn Growers Association, and the Iowa Soybean Association.

    This comes as historic advances are made in negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with India, the framework of which was announced by Vice President J.D. Vance and USTR in April. Further, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is slated to travel to India, among other countries, this year in efforts to continue discussions to open new markets for agricultural exports. 

    The full letter can be found HERE.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Declaring June Worker Safety Month

    Source: US State of New York

    overnor Kathy Hochul today proclaimed June as Worker Safety Month as part of her continued commitment to keep New Yorkers safe while on the job. The announcement coincides with three new laws going into effect, the Retail Worker Safety Act, the Fashion Workers Act, and the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program. These new policies are meant to safeguard thousands of workers in these sectors by requiring employers to implement health and safety programs to reduce incidents of work-related injuries or abuse. Complementary to Workers Safety Month, the Governor announced safety enhancements for highway workers and users as part of her FY26 Enacted Budget. These new measures are the latest in Governor Hochul’s ongoing effort to make New York State safer and more affordable for workers statewide.

    “Our workers are the lifeline of the state and deserve to have a safe and secure work environment no matter the job,” Governor Hochul said. “With new safety enhancements and health programs in place, workers across the state will have the tools and resources necessary to ensure their safety while in the workplace.”

    New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “Every worker has the right to a safe work environment, free from threats of violence, exploitation, and workplace oversights that lead to injuries. With these new laws, our Department now has more tools in its toolbox to better protect hundreds of thousands of workers across these industries. I thank Governor Hochul for continuing to champion the safety of our precious workforce, this month and beyond.”

    New York State Workers’ Compensation Board Chair Clarissa M. Rodriguez said, “These new laws will help guarantee worker safety is prioritized in our great state. We applaud Governor Hochul for recognizing the contributions of hardworking New Yorkers and ensuring that employers take safety seriously. In the unfortunate circumstance when an employee suffers a work-related injury or illness though, the Board is committed to ensuring the proper delivery of benefits, so injured workers can recover and return to their lives.”

    New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said, “Everything we do at the Department of Transportation is centered around safety — the safety of our workforce and the safety of the traveling public — and I thank Governor Hochul for commemorating the importance of keeping workers throughout New York safe through Worker Safety Month. Since its inception, our Department has lost 59 employees in state operated work zones, and just last week we suffered an unimaginable loss when Highway Maintenance Supervisor Robert Bornt was tragically killed as a result of a work zone intrusion. I urge all New Yorkers to take the matter of worker safety seriously – respect our DOT workers — the dedicated public servants who are working on our roads and bridges to keep you safe. Pay attention, put your phone down and please, slow down and move over in a work zone — lives are at risk.”

    New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said, “The Union Movement always prioritizes workplace safety, and we are resolute in our fight to create safe environments for all New Yorkers. These new laws will help ensure greater safety for retail workers and shoppers, implement injury reduction programs in specific warehouse distribution centers, and improve working conditions in the fashion industry. We thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to prioritizing safety in the workplace.”

    New Yorkers for a Fair Economy Coalition Executive Director and Leader Theodore A. Moore said, “The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act is a massive victory for workers, to both prevent injuries and stand up to bad employers. Thanks to Governor Hochul, worker safety champions Senator Ramos and Assemblymember Bronson, and our mighty labor and community coalition for this huge achievement. Now, we must be vigilant. Workers need to know their rights, and New York must stay laser-focused on strong worker education and enforcement to ensure every New York worker is safe on the job.”

    The Retail Worker Safety Act requires retail employers with ten or more employees statewide to develop and implement training programs to prevent workplace violence, including acts or threats of physical violence, abuse, harassment, or intimidation. Additionally, employers with 500 or more employees must install silent response buttons or provide wearable or mobile phone-based silent response buttons by January 2027. Combined, these measures will make New York retail locations safer for workers and shoppers. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has created a series of training videos and a written model training to assist employers with creating their own workplace violence prevention training programs. The Department is also launching a social media campaign, featuring videos in English and Spanish to inform New Yorkers about the new law.

    Retail Council of New York State President and CEO Melissa O’Connor said, “The retail industry’s top priority is the safety of store employees and shoppers, as evidenced by our consistent collaboration with local police precincts, district attorneys, state and local leaders and community groups. We are encouraged by the new laws and related funding to address instances of organized retail crime and habitual retail theft in New York, including stronger penalties for the assault of retail employees. As we continue our work with Governor Kathy Hochul to promote public safety, we will also partner with the Department of Labor to ensure all covered employers are ready to comply with the Retail Worker Safety Act.”

    Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) President Stuart Appelbaum said, “Retail workers — and shoppers — across New York will now be safer because of the Retail Worker Safety Act. We are grateful that Governor Hochul has focused on preventing retail violence and theft. Retail workers should not have to go to work every day in fear; and this law goes a long way towards ending that. As implemented, the RWSA provides for preventative measures that will help deter violence and harassment before it starts; and most importantly, will assist workers in getting help quickly in the event of an emergency.”

    Also going into effect is the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program, requiring certain warehouse distribution center employers to establish and implement an injury reduction program. This will help them identify and reduce the risk of work-related injuries. Employers must now conduct worksite evaluations, provide training to employees and supervisors, and establish medical staffing and treatment protocols. The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction program is part of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act, which requires employers to disclose production quotas as well as protect warehouse workers from disciplinary action or firing where quotas are undisclosed or prevent legally protected breaks. To learn more, please see NYSDOL’s English and Spanish videos on the expansion of this law.

    Teamsters Joint Council 18 President Tom Quackenbush said, “The New York Teamsters thank Governor Hochul and legislative leaders for enacting the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act and giving the state the tools to tackle the injury crisis in this industry. Bad employers are putting their profits ahead of safety, and workers are getting hurt in staggering numbers. We look forward to working with the New York Department of Labor to ensure this law is properly implemented and enforced to hold these companies accountable and protect New York workers.”

    State Senator Jessica Ramos said, “Behind every paycheck, there’s a life worth protecting. Our fight for the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program and the Retail Worker Safety Act reflects our commitment to ensuring that every New Yorker goes home safe, every shift, every day. These laws aren’t the finish line; they’re the foundation for expanded protections that safeguard the health and dignity of our workforce. Declaring June as Worker Safety Month is a powerful reminder that no job is worth risking a life. Let’s keep pushing forward to make New York a safer place to work.”

    Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson said, “As we recognize Worker Safety Month, it’s important we make sure policies are in place so when a New York worker leaves for work, they will return home to their family safely. The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act, which I sponsored

    in the Assembly and will take effect during Worker Safety Month, ensures that warehouses enact safety measures that put the health of our workers above profits. As Assembly Labor Chair, I will always fight for the protections our workers deserve.”

    The New York Fashion Workers Act goes into effect on June 19, requiring model management companies and model management groups to comply with new duties and responsibilities under the law. The new law outlines the duties and responsibilities companies must provide, including:

    • Acting in the best interest of the models they represent;
    • Ensuring a safe work environment;
    • Providing models with a written agreement detailing their total compensation before work begins and clearly communicating itemized deductions and disclosing any financial relationships with clients;
    • Establishing company policies and complaint processes that addresses abuse, harassment, and any other inappropriate behavior towards models; and
    • Outline penalties for violations of company policies.

    Starting December 21 of this year, these groups must register with the New York State Department of Labor and comply with any registration-related requirements. The law also prohibits these groups from imposing certain fees, requiring models to sign contracts for longer than three years, and using models’ digital replicas without permission. NYSDOL has created English and Spanish videos to raise awareness of the new law.

    Model Alliance Executive Director Sara Ziff said, “Models are workers who deserve the same labor rights and protections as anyone else. For too long, models have faced late payment, bogus fees, and unsafe working conditions — often without recourse. With the Fashion Workers Act, New York is finally saying: enough is enough. This victory is hard-fought recognition for a vulnerable workforce, one that is overwhelmingly young, female, and immigrant. We are deeply grateful to our bill sponsors, Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Reyes, and to Governor Hochul for making this landmark protection a reality.”

    Complementary to Workers Safety Month, Governor Hochul announced safety enhancements for highway workers and users as part of her FY26 Enacted Budget. The Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement program has been expanded to include MTA Bridges and Tunnels and NYS Bridge Authority properties and has been extended until 2031. The program, which aims to improve work zone safety for both workers and drivers, was previously set to expire in 2026. The Governor’s FY26 Budget also doubles the number of work zones eligible for participation in the program for both the New York State Department of Transportation and the New York State Thruway Authority. A majority of the funds collected under this program are reinvested into the work zone safety programs including safety training and public awareness advertising.

    Keeping workers safe is at the core of the mission of the Department of Labor. Last month, NYSDOL announced that businesses statewide have saved around $500 million over the last five decades thanks to the On-Site Consultation Program. The free and confidential safety and health service helps small and medium-sized businesses operating in high-hazard industries prevent workplace injuries and illnesses. The program also provides assistance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory compliance. For more information, please visit the On-Site Consultation Program webpage.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Nicholas Green, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University

    The system of scientific naming began in the 1700s. Westend61 via Getty Images

    Most people would call it a “field mouse,” but a scientist would ask, “Was it Peromyscus maniculatus? Or Peromyscus leucopus?”

    Scientists use a system of complicated-sounding names to refer to everyday creatures, a practice heavily lampooned in the Warner Bros. cartoons featuring the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote – or, respectively, Accelleratii incredibus and Carnivorous vulgaris.

    As a biologist, I use these seemingly odd names myself and help my students learn them. For most people it’s a huge effort, like learning a second language. That’s because it is.

    A chimpanzee, otherwise known as Pan troglodytes.
    guenter guni/E+ via Getty Images

    Humans, skunks and maple trees

    The science of naming and classifying organisms is called taxonomy. Scientists do this so they can be as precise as possible when discussing living things.

    The first word in an organism’s name is its genus, which is a group of related species, such as Panthera for lions, tigers and leopards.

    The second word is the specific name identifying the species, usually defined as a population that can reproduce only with each other, such as Panthera leo for lion.

    Every two-word combination must be unique. Called binomial nomenclature, this naming system was popularized by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the 1700s. So, humans are Homo sapiens, the red maple Acer rubrum, garlic Allium sativum, and the eastern spotted skunk Spilogale putorius.

    Today, biologists maintain huge databases containing the taxonomic names of plants, animals, fungi and other organisms. For instance, one of these databases – the Open Tree of Life project – includes over 2.3 million species.

    The scientist who discovers a species usually names it by publishing a formal description in a peer-reviewed journal. From there, the name makes its way into the databases. From then on, scientists always use that name for the organism, even if it turns out to be misleading. For example, many fossils were originally given names containing the Greek root “saur,” which means lizard – even though paleontologists later realized dinosaurs were not lizards.

    The archosaur group includes dinosaurs and also today’s birds and crocodiles.
    Orla/iStock via Getty Images Plus

    Snobbery isn’t the issue

    To most people, these names sound inscrutable. Particularly nowadays, as science becomes more open and accessible to everyone, such arcane vocabulary can come across as old-fashioned and elitist.

    Given the current backlash against “elites” and “experts” in every field, that’s a serious charge. But in a roundabout way, this seemingly exclusive practice is really a story of inclusiveness.

    As modern science began taking shape in Europe during the 1600s, scientists had a problem. They wanted to read and be read by others, but language got in the way. French scientists couldn’t read Swedish, Swedes couldn’t read Italian, and Italians couldn’t read German.

    Also, writing about plants and animals posed a particular challenge: Many species had common names that could vary from place to place, and some common names might apply to multiple species. Scientists needed a way to be precise and consistent when referring to species, so that everyone could understand each other.

    To sidestep the language issue, scientists of the era mostly published their work in classical Latin. Back then, everyone learned it – at least every European man wealthy enough to attend school and become a scientist. Others published in classical Greek, also widely taught. By sticking with these more universally known languages, early scientists made sure that science was accessible to as many of their peers as possible.

    By the late 1700s and 1800s, translation services were broadly available, so naturalists such as Georges Cuvier could write in his native French, and Charles Darwin in his native English. Today, English has become the de facto language for science, so most scientists publish in English regardless of their native tongue.

    So why continue to use Latin and Greek names today? Taxonomists do it partly out of tradition, but partly because the terminology is still useful. Even without seeing a photo of the animal, a biologist might work out that Geomys bursarius – “earth-mouse with a pouch” – was a pocket gopher. Or that Reithrodontomys fulvescens – “groove-toothed mouse that is yellow” – is a yellow mouse with grooves on its incisors.

    A two-minute, how-to-do-it lesson.

    What’s in a name?

    Although taxonomists still largely adhere to the naming principles of Linnaeus, new scientific names are more and more frequently derived from non-European languages. For example, a chicken-size dinosaur discovered and named in China is called Yi qi, meaning “strange wing” in Mandarin.

    Some of the more recent names are touched by whimsy, with a few honoring politicians and celebrities. Etheostoma obama is a spangled darter named after the 44th U.S. president; the Swift twisted-claw millipede – Nannaria swiftae – is named after pop star Taylor Swift.

    With so much of Earth’s biodiversity yet to be discovered and named, remember that names are just names. What we call these species often reflects our own values and perspectives.

    In the future, another language – or no language at all – might rise to dominance. Artificial intelligence may act as a universal translator. This possibility would let everyone publish and read science in their own language. Predicting how technology will change our relationship with terminology is challenging, but the need for precise scientific language, including the names of species, will never go away.

    Nicholas Green does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names – https://theconversation.com/a-bottlenose-dolphin-or-tursiops-truncatus-why-biologists-give-organisms-those-strange-unpronounceable-names-252265

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Andrew Bailey: State of trade

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    It is a great pleasure to be in Dublin, and I want to start by thanking the Irish Association of Investment Managers for inviting me again to speak. I say again because I also have to begin with an apology, for standing you up last year at short notice when the General Election was called in the UK. And so, my other thanks is to my fellow Governor Gabriel, for stepping in last year when I withdrew at short notice.

    Not much has happened in the last year. To keep it topical, I am going to use my time to talk about trade, both in goods and in financial services. This is not only topical but highly relevant, because Ireland and the UK are both open economies, with long-established trade connections, and likewise strong connections in financial services.

    Trade matters. It matters at both the economy-wide or macro level, and at the level of individual firms, the micro level. And, almost needless to say, the two are closely linked.

    I am going to start by laying out key elements of the big picture, before moving on to talk about financial services. My starting point is two key elements of the macro dimension of trade. In many past times in talking about trade it would have been easy to pass over them, as points that are not contested. I think they need repeating today.

    The first point is that trade supports output in the economy – and it is good for economic welfare. As I will come on to, there are important qualifications to this point, but they don’t invalidate it. From Adam Smith onwards, it has broadly been accepted that trade supports specialisation and efficiency of production and it enables knowledge transfer, and these features support productivity and economic growth.

    The second point is that we should not expect trade between countries to be in balance all of the time. The whole world should be in balance – because it is a closed system as we have not found and started trading with extra-terrestrial life yet. But as individual countries, we are not closed, as Ireland and the UK demonstrate. Unfortunately, the world’s exports and imports don’t usually equal each other, but that’s down to our counting not ET.

    However, since trade balances between countries don’t balance – and they should not be expected to do so, – what determines the balances and patterns of trade? At the whole economy, or macro, level the answer is that trade is determined by the balance between a country’s saving and investment – macroeconomic fundamentals. And, these are shaped by factors such as business conditions and cycles, productivity growth, savings behaviour, interest rates, fiscal policy choices and exchange rates. In other words, trade is an outcome of the big driving forces of economies, and if we want to affect trade patterns on a lasting basis, that’s where we should look.

    Well, up to a point, yes. I am conscious that what I have just said is a rather a textbook espousal of the case for free trade. No apologies, I do believe in free trade. But, I’m also aware that things are not that simple – the story doesn’t end there. Trade patterns are also shaped by national policies, particularly industrial policies, and by the rules–based world trading system that seeks to set the guardrails for such policies.

    Now, the argument, as I interpret it, of the US Administration is that those rules have been stretched beyond breaking point, and actions have to be taken to put this right.

    As I read it, there are two parts to this argument.

    The first is that the rules of the world trade system – based around the World Trade Organisation – have broken down, and are in need of reform. IMF staff have pointed to more use of industrial policies around the world in recent years, and argued that these should only be used for very limited domestic objectives such as local market failures, but that has not been the case of late, and that this practice will and has exacerbated trade tensions. More concretely, between 2009 and 2022 China implemented around 5,400 so-called subsidy policies, which were concentrated in priority sectors, i.e., ones that matter. This was equal to about two-thirds of all the subsidy measures adopted by G20 advanced economies combined.

    The macro story on trade is influenced by what goes on at the micro level, and we can’t see these two as distinct. There has been an increase in the use of industrial policies – one country has been active on this front, but it’s not alone.

    The second point is around how the rules of engagement of the world trade system have come under pressure from new developments which have affected all of us. Let me briefly set out two which are closely linked. First, before the outbreak of Covid world trade had grown rapidly, more rapidly than world output, and in doing so the supply chains for final products had become much more complicated, but also efficient in the sense that they had exploited the benefits of trade.

    This meant that a lot more of world trade comprised so-called intermediate goods – inputs to the final product, but not the product itself. This exploited one of the longest standing principles of free trade – so-called comparative advantage. In other words, produce stuff where it is most efficient relatively speaking to do so, accepting that the relative point means that no country should specialise in everything. Over time, the trade system has become more and more refined – we have heard the phrase “just in time delivery”. This was highly efficient, until it wasn’t.

    Covid dealt a blow to the efficiency of the trade system. Even though initial pandemic-related supply chain disruption was resolved quite rapidly, as we recovered from Covid these trading patterns and systems did not return to normal as quickly and fully as we expected.

    Why was that? There were no doubt a number of reasons, but a large one is the growth of national security concerns as a threat to the efficiency of trade. In reality, sadly, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine provided real evidence of the disruption that can happen, and is one factor behind a growing threat from national security to our assumptions on frictionless trade. To be clear, national security concerns are not a good reason to retreat indiscriminately from global trade. The best way to ensure resilience to geopolitical risk is not by reshoring production, but by diversifying supply chains among reliable partners who abide by international law.

    Viewed from the perspective of a central bank responsible for monetary policy, the inevitable conclusion is that we cannot assume that the supply sides of our economies behave as efficiently as they did before Covid. And this was a substantial cause of the very difficult upsurge in inflation.

    I am going to conclude on broader trade with a number of points, and then say something on financial services. Four points strike me as very important on trade.

    First, while I am an unshaken believer in free trade, I do accept that the system has come under too much strain, we have to work hard now to rebuild it, and it is incorrect to dismiss those who argue for restrictions on trade as just wrong-headed. We need to understand what lies behind these arguments. That said, I want to get back to an open trading system.

    Second, to solve the issues we face, we need to look at the macro level – the big economic drivers that I mentioned earlier, and call out where and why we think there are unsustainable trade imbalances. We need to strengthen the IMF’s surveillance in order to improve the process for calling out unsustainable trade imbalances. But we must also look at the micro-level – the rules based world trade system – and work out what we need to do to solve this problem and make it more effective again.

    Third, if it is believed that tariff action is needed to create the shock and awe to get these issues on to the table and dealt with, then something has gone wrong with the multilateral system, and we need to deal with that.

    Fourth, creating a sustainable world trading system matters to all of us. It matters to countries like Ireland and the UK, which are highly open economies, and have been throughout their development. And it matters to central bankers and economic policymakers because our jobs are much harder if we face more inflexible and uncertain supply side conditions in our economies, as we appear to do today.

    Almost all of the attention in recent months in the area of trade has been on goods trade – tangible stuff. Tariffs are a tool whose use is largely confined to the world of goods trade. But, there are two other important features of the trade world. First, alongside trade in goods sits trade in services-intangibles. For the UK, the latest numbers indicate that the total volume of trade was made up of 54% goods and 46% services. For Ireland the numbers are 28% goods and 72% services.

    Financial services are an important part of trade in services and particularly so for Ireland and the UK.

    The second important feature of the trade world is that alongside tariffs sit non-tariff barriers. These are all sorts of obstacles to trade, some put in place deliberately, some are features with their origin in other objectives than affecting the flow of trade, and others which are just there who knows why. Non-tariff barriers to trade are by no means limited to trade in services, but they are the dominant form of restriction in that world.

    This brings me to Brexit. I have to start with an important disclaimer. As a public servant, I take no position on Brexit per se – it was a decision of the British people, and has been put into effect. That said, our evolving trading and regulatory relationship with the EU requires many judgements on the most effective way to do so – what delivers the most effective outcome.

    I want to make two important points in this context. The first relates more to trade in goods, the second to financial services. Let me start with goods. I said earlier that trade enhances and supports economic activity.

    It follows that if the level of trade is lowered by some action, it will have an effect to reduce productivity growth and thus overall growth. Just as tariffs, by increasing the cost, can reduce the scale of trade, the same goes for the type of non-tariff barrier that Brexit has created. Now to reiterate, this does not mean that Brexit is wrong, because there can be other reasons for it, but it does suggest, I think powerfully, that we should do all we can to minimise negative effects on trade.

    The evidence on Brexit suggests that in the UK the changing trade relationship has weighed on the level of potential supply.

    I conclude from this that, just as the Windsor Agreement on trade involving the UK and Ireland was a welcome step forward, so too are the initiatives of the current UK Government to rebuild trade between the UK and EU, and of course there is a very particular important aspect here for the UK and Ireland.

    Let me turn to financial services. There is often an impression given that the flow of trade in financial services is predominantly from the UK to the EU. In other words, the UK is an exporter of financial services. This creates the notion of a one-way street, and that leads to the image of a dependency, and from there the notion of the dependency in some sense being unhealthy starts to come in.

    My strong view is that – contrary to this one way idea – the relationship goes both ways, and that is a good thing. And, this is very well illustrated by the relationship between Ireland and the UK in the area of financial services.

    Let me draw out the two-way street point some more, using the example of the 2022 shock to Liability Driven Investment funds connected to UK pension funds, so-called LDI funds. The LDI episode occurred when UK financial assets saw a significant repricing, with a particular impact on long-dated gilts. The Financial Policy Committee at the Bank of England judged that UK financial stability was at risk due to dysfunction in the gilt market and recommended that the Bank take action. This action took the form of intervening via temporary purchases of long-dated gilts.

    Many of the funds involved were domiciled in other jurisdictions, including here in Ireland and Luxembourg. To be very clear, domicile was not a part of the problem. But, it had to help to enable the solution, and it did. A co-ordinated response between the UK, Ireland and Luxembourg was essential, and I am very grateful to the Central Bank of Ireland and the authorities in Luxembourg for helping us to respond effectively.

    There have been important lessons from the LDI episode, which are increasingly relevant in the context of the increased market volatility we have seen in recent weeks following the US announcement on trade tariffs last month. Together, working with other UK regulators, the Central Bank of Ireland and the authorities in Luxembourg, we have taken action to build resilience in LDI funds. And I hope this close cooperation can continue as we seek to navigate another two way street by building more resilience into money market funds in the EU and the UK, as we strengthen our domestic rules.

    The benefits of open financial markets as well as the dependencies also tend to go both ways.

    The UK and EU are both seeking to strengthen our domestic capital markets. The EU’s Savings and Investment Union agenda and the UK government’s reforms to pensions are both seeking to direct savings towards productive investment. These are important measures, not least given the pressing need for financing some of the common structural challenges we face in the UK and EU – for example, defence and security, demographics, and the technological and climate transitions.

    But strengthening domestic capital markets is only part of the story. The scale of investment needed requires access to global capital, supported by open financial markets. The alternative is fragmentation, which we have unfortunately seen in the global economy in recent years, which reduces the size of markets, and makes them inherently less stable. Fragmentation also increases the cost of capital, undermining growth and investment. Financial market openness, built on a foundation of robust global standards and trust, is a much better alternative.

    To repeat, open financial markets are a good thing. As with goods trade, open financial markets support economic growth as well as increasing investment and reducing the cost of capital. So the benefits of open financial markets, as well as the dependencies, tend to go both ways, so a two-way street; and working together effectively is the best way.

    As such, there is merit in seeking to increase the openness of our financial markets by reducing non-tariff barriers.

    The Bank of England and the Central Bank of Ireland enjoy a very strong relationship, which is built on trust and respect, fostered by close cooperation and coordination and a steadfast commitment to shared values and working together in international bodies to promote global standards. And, my strong view is that this type of work benefits the industries that we oversee. The message that I get consistently, and rightly, is that firms want robust but fair and consistent regulatory standards which will support both stability and competition, and set the level playing field on which they operate.

    Thank you.

    I would like to Sarah Breeden, Lee Foulger, Mike Hatchett, Himali Hettihewa, Karen Jude, Jake Levy, Zertasha Malik, Jeremy Martin, Harsh Mehta, James Talbot, Lanze Gardiner Vandvik, Sam Woods for their help in the preparation of these remarks.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Fewer men are choosing to become vets – ‘male flight’ could be the reason

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Hamish Morrin, Veterinary Lecturer in Clinical Communication Skills, University of Central Lancashire

    ZoranOrcik/Shutterstock

    If you take your dog, cat or fish to see a vet in the UK, the person who treats them is likely to be a woman. According to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 61% of current UK vets are female. University admissions are even more skewed. Among vets who had recently qualified, nearly 80% were female.

    This wasn’t always the case. In the 1930s, when James Herriot – author of books including All Creatures Great and Small and for many the iconic British vet – was practising, almost all vets were male.

    The women’s liberation movement of the 60s and 70s saw an influx of female vet students. You might expect a levelling of the playing field to lead to a profession now equally split between genders, but that isn’t so.

    I teach veterinary clinical communication skills to veterinary students. My research relates to developing communication strategies that are effective across a wide range of cultures and social groups. However, vets are not very culturally diverse: as well as the majority being female, nearly all are heterosexual and white.

    This can limit their experience and understanding of different perspectives. As part of a wider piece of research into student experience of communication, I have reviewed the history of veterinary demographics, with some surprising results.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Historically, vets worked mainly in farms with large animals, for which clients perceived physical strength to be crucial. Increasing pet ownership means most vets now work with small animals.

    This change in focus has altered society’s perception of veterinary work from “practical” to “caring”, and it has been suggested that this has discouraged boys from considering the profession. Veterinary salaries have also stagnated for some time, which may make the job less attractive to men.

    In the past, much more veterinary work took place with large animals on farms.
    Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock

    There is very little research to support any of these theories, but the most relevant and largest study available comes from the US in 2010. When applications to vet schools across the country from the 1960s to early 2000s were reviewed, one factor predicted student choice: the more female students there were, the less likely males were to apply.

    This is an understudied sociological phenomenon called “male flight” or “gender flight”. It seems that, in some professions at least, men lose interest once the number of women rises above 60%.

    Another study of UK workplaces found the same thing when modelling various reasons for gender disparities. Men not choosing professions such as pharmacy and accountancy due to increased female presence was the best explanation.

    These findings are concerning when connected with a UK study from 2018 called Drawing the Future. Thirteen thousand UK school children aged between seven and 11 were asked to draw pictures of their dream job. Researchers found that – perhaps unsurprisingly – dream jobs were strongly gendered, and that this happens from a young age.

    “Vet” was third overall, a very popular job choice. But when you split that by gender, it was the second most popular job for girls, but only ninth for boys. This very much matches the gender balance of vet school applicants, so we can hypothesise that attitudes to being a vet are set early in life.

    Need for diversity

    Most diversity initiatives aim to reduce barriers for underrepresented groups. The veterinary profession isn’t nearly as diverse as it could be – only around 4% of vets come from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 18% of people in the UK population overall.

    Various reasons for this have been suggested, including lack of representation and financial barriers. But we actually don’t know why this is; applications to veterinary medicine by non-white students are lower than for other degrees.

    But in the case of gender, boys can become vets. They simply don’t want to.

    There’s value of diversity in general within the veterinary profession. Vets don’t just work in clinics with pets: they also play a key public health role preventing disease in animal populations and ensuring the health and welfare of farm animals.

    There are many animal charities that rely on vets to help support the human-animal bond, such as rescuing and rehoming animals, working with pets belonging to homeless people, or caring for the pets of people fleeing domestic violence. This means working with people from all over the UK, from all backgrounds.

    Many studies of stress in the veterinary profession identify difficulties with communication as a key problem. Indeed, communication is highlighted as a key skill for veterinary students by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and many studies of veterinary education. But there lies a challenge common to homogeneous professions. Learning to communicate effectively with others is more difficult when there is less diversity.

    This issue of gender flight has broader social implications. When men leave a profession due to increased numbers of women, wages tend to stagnate, which is a serious issue for students who frequently leave their five-year vet degrees with substantial debt.

    One place to start might be looking at how young children view vets – and what might make it a profession to choose as a result of personal ability and preference, rather than social pressure.

    Hamish Morrin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Fewer men are choosing to become vets – ‘male flight’ could be the reason – https://theconversation.com/fewer-men-are-choosing-to-become-vets-male-flight-could-be-the-reason-254827

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Social media’s push for the perfect muscular body is fuelling a new form of disordered eating — and young men are most at risk

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Alison Fixsen, Senior Lecturer Psychology, University of Westminster

    Young men are most likely to follow eating habits consistent with Mode. Elkhophoto/ Shutterstock

    From celebrities and influencers to everyday people, social media is full of content that showcases perfectly toned, muscular bodies – and how to achieve them. Having a muscular physique is no longer confined to elite athletes and body builders – it has become a widely popular aspiration.

    But alongside the rising popularity of this kind of content has been an increase in the pressure that both men and women are feeling to achieve a more athletic, muscular physique. This seemingly healthy trend has coincided with the detection of a new form of disordered eating.

    Muscularity oriented disordered eating (Mode) refers to a set of disordered eating habits driven by an excessive focus on lean muscle gain. This includes excessive consumption of protein supplements and drinks, rigid diet patterns, meticulous tracking of macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat in food) and frequent muscle checking.

    Unlike eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, Mode is specifically related to muscularity and predominantly affects young men. But, as with other forms of disordered eating, Mode can disrupt daily life, harm social relationships and diminish emotional wellbeing.

    Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK’s latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences.

    Social media plays a significant and multifaceted role in Mode. While social media can sometimes offer helpful health and fitness information, social media algorithms also amplify content of extreme or visually striking bodies that garner attention.

    Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok are saturated with “fitspiration” content. Posed shots and before and after photos suggest that “fitspiration” content may be about appearance rather than health. These highly curated depictions of idealised, muscular bodies not only reinforce unrealistic body ideals, they can also foster dissatisfaction with body image, increase muscle fixation and lead to disordered forms of eating.



    Read more:
    Body dysmorphic disorder: what to know about this mental health condition

    Many social media influencers also promote unattainable body standards, unsustainable lifestyles and extreme eating habits. These include the daily use of protein supplements, rigorous tracking of macronutrients, extreme workouts and the use of drugs (including anabolic steroids) to enhance performance.

    Some influencers even partner with fitness supplement companies, becoming the image for a specific brand or food product. This can incentivise social media users to purchase those products and follow similar dietary habits without seeking professional advice or examining the risks.

    While not every fitness enthusiast is at risk of developing Mode, this intense preoccupation with muscle growth is growing. According to one 2019 study, 22% of males and 5% of females aged 18–20 reported engaging in behaviour consistent with Mode.

    College students may be particularly at risk of Mode due to their high use of social media and because they’re often in control of their diet for the first time.

    Mode has been closely associated with preoccupation with body image, which is known to be linked with unhealthy, body-changing behaviours.

    Obsessively tracking protein intake, consuming supplements and following a rigid diet are all associated with Mode.
    George Rudy/ Shutterstock

    Several other factors have also been associated with Mode. These include exercising specifically to gain weight, perceiving oneself as underweight, having a lower body mass index (BMI), practising weightlifting and using anabolic steroids. Among males, alcohol consumption is linked to Mode, while depressive symptoms were a notable factor for females.

    Mode has also been reported at comparable rates in many countries around the world – including the United States, Canada and Iran.

    Risk of harm

    There are many physical and mental harms that may be associated with Mode.

    For instance, the condition is associated with a variety of disordered eating patterns. Fixation on muscle development can trigger or exacerbate eating disorders, notably binge eating. Orthorexia nervosa – a pathological and potentially harmful focus on “healthy eating” – is also frequently recorded in fitness communities.

    While women were once the main audience for the health food market, health supplements and protein products are increasingly targeted at men.

    According to a US study, more than 80% of male college students reported using whey protein powders or shakes, and more than 50% used the supplement creatine monohydrate to increase muscle mass and strength. Alarmingly, 82% of anabolic-androgenic steroid users in the study were also from this demographic. Steroid use is associated with serious side effects, including mood swings and sexual dysfunction.

    Over-consumption of protein products can be harmful to health. While it’s true your body needs more protein when you are more active, not all muscle-building products are necessarily healthy. Protein shakes, for example, can be highly processed.

    Some products contain artificial sweeteners and thickeners. They may also contain potentially harmful chemicals such as heavy metals (including lead and aluminium).

    Over-consumption of protein products has also been linked to gut and metabolic disturbances. It’s important that protein shakes and bars aren’t used as replacements for natural protein sources, such as pulses, meat, fish or dairy foods.

    On a social and emotional level, Mode is associated with disruptions to daily life and social isolation, with the person prioritising diet and fitness plans over work, school and relationships. In one study, male bodybuilders who followed an extreme, muscle-focused diet reported they felt guilty and disappointed in themselves if they deviated from their lifestyle – with their dietary needs affecting their work.

    Women with Mode have reported significant levels of depression and anxiety, and were more likely to feel socially isolated.



    Read more:
    Body image issues are rising in men – research suggests techniques to improve it

    Recognising Mode as a legitimate public health concern is essential for cultivating a more inclusive and healthy fitness culture. While continuing to support efforts to exercise more and stay healthy, schools, colleges, gyms and fitness instructors should be mindful of the potential for Mode among people who are excessively focused on their physical appearance or over-frequenting the gym.

    More work needs to be done to identify Mode risk factors and prevent further escalation. The fitness industry should also be held to greater account for the products and lifestyles they promote.

    Alison Fixsen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Social media’s push for the perfect muscular body is fuelling a new form of disordered eating — and young men are most at risk – https://theconversation.com/social-medias-push-for-the-perfect-muscular-body-is-fuelling-a-new-form-of-disordered-eating-and-young-men-are-most-at-risk-254157

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI: Provident Bank Mid-Year Survey Shows Business Owners Balancing Tariff Concerns with Economic Optimism

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ISELIN, N.J., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Provident Bank, a leading New Jersey-based financial institution, has released the results of its Mid-Year Business Outlook Survey, taking stock of business owner sentiment as they navigate a nuanced macroeconomic environment dominated by looming tariffs. This year’s survey revealed positivity around the economy, with lingering concerns around the impact of tariffs and businesses making short-term decisions that reflect this uncertainty.

    Business owners believe the economy will grow, yet there is mixed sentiment around tariffs.
    Overall, business owners believe the economy will grow in the back half of 2025, yet their view of tariffs is less positive. While the full effect of tariffs has yet to be felt, general sentiment is that they aren’t good for the economy.

    • Over 60% of businesses believe the economy will grow over the next six months. Yet, there is a clear level of dissatisfaction with the ongoing tariff policies, as over 55% of respondents believe they’re having a negative impact on the United States.
    • Over 70% of respondents are “very” to “moderately” concerned about the impact of tariffs on their businesses. However, the impact to date has been minimal, with over 80% of businesses saying there has been “somewhat of an impact” or “none”.
    • When looking at tariffs across the board, over 35% said to keep tariffs in some capacity, 45% said to eliminate them altogether, and just under 20% said to keep them as proposed. Over 50% of respondents said tariffs are making the United States weaker.

    Businesses anticipate tariff consequences, though the full effect is yet to be seen.
    Most business owners expect tariffs to affect their revenue, with many using careful inventory management and sales promotions to lessen the potential effect. Regarding future planning, respondents noted delaying capital expenditures, and most reported no change in hiring practices.

    • Over half of respondents believe that tariffs will, in some capacity, decrease their business’ revenue.
    • Responses to inventory adjustments were closely split. 32.55% noted that they have adjusted their inventory levels, and 31.69% are still evaluating.
    • Regarding hiring, just under 30% are planning to halt hiring, while nearly 50% say that their hiring plans remain unchanged.
    • Most business owners aren’t taking immediate action on sales promotions to account for weaker demand, with 34% taking no action and just over 30% still evaluating.
    • The slight majority (41.68%) of respondents are planning to delay major capital expenditures. In addition, just over 37% of businesses expect to pass the cost of tariffs onto their customers, and just under 30% expect to absorb the cost.

    “Despite business owners voicing concerns about tariffs, our survey demonstrates a positive growth outlook in the near future,” stated Bill Fink, Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer at Provident Bank. “We’re observing businesses strategically adapting to this environment by proactively managing inventory and planning capital expenditures. At Provident Bank, we deeply understand our clients’ businesses through close partnerships, which allows us to effectively address their unique challenges. We are dedicated to providing the financial support and resources they need to thrive in today’s dynamic lending landscape, leveraging our in-depth knowledge of their operations.”

    The survey was conducted by Pollfish, a market research provider, on behalf of Provident Bank. The findings are based on responses from 1,000 business owners and senior executives in the U.S. working for companies with over $1M in annual revenue. To access the full findings, please contact Provident Bank’s Public Relations Agency, Vested, at providentbank@fullyvested.com.

    About Provident Bank
    Founded in Jersey City in 1839, Provident Bank is the oldest community-focused financial institution based in New Jersey and is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS). With assets of $24.22 billion as of March 31, 2025, Provident Bank offers a wide range of customized financial solutions for businesses and consumers with an exceptional customer experience delivered through its convenient network of more than 140 branches across New Jersey and parts of New York and Pennsylvania, via mobile and online banking, and from its customer contact center. The bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company, and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. To learn more about Provident Bank, go to www.provident.bank or call our customer contact center at 800.448.7768.

    Media Contact:
    Keith Buscio – Keith.Buscio@provident.bank
    Vested – Providentbank@fullyvested.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pilot restocking project boosts rare glass eels in the Kennet

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Pilot restocking project boosts rare glass eels in the Kennet

    Innovative project sees nearly 23,000 protected glass eels transferred to the River Kennet.

    Environment Agency officers releasing the eels.

    A new Environment Agency research project has seen 22,914 rare and protected glass eels swap the River Severn for a new home in the Berkshire this month.

    The eels were transferred in late April to nine locations on the Kennet chalk stream by Environment Agency fisheries specialists, initiating a research project that will monitor their development.

    Peter Gray, Environment Agency fisheries team leader, said:

    We are working hard to address the many struggles that eels face and are taking action to safeguard this critically endangered species.

    Over the coming months and years, we will closely monitor the released eels to see how they are surviving and growing. Eventually we want to discover whether this type of management produces more eels going out to sea to breed.

    Eels are born in the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean. From there, they float in their larval form on ocean currents towards Europe – journeying more than 3,000 miles for up to 2 years. Once they reach the coast, they turn into transparent glass eels up to 8cm long and then elvers, up to 12cm in length, swimming upstream into rivers. Here they live for around 6-10 years as juveniles/sub-adult yellow eels, before swimming downstream and eventually returning to the Sargasso Sea as mature adults to breed -silver eels.

    In the 1980s, populations of the once-common eel started to decline all around Europe; the reasons for this are unclear but may be due to over-fishing, habitat loss and fragmentation, parasites or climate change. The numbers of new, young eels arriving at our shores are now a tiny percentage of those that arrived in the 1960s and 1970s.

    Through the Environment Agency’s fisheries management programs, fish stocks are increasing to provide even more opportunities for South East anglers. Without the income from rod licences this vital work would not be possible.

    Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence to fish. A one-day licence costs from just £7.10, and an annual licence currently costs from just £35.80. Concessions available. Junior licences are free for 13 – 16-year-olds.

    Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.

    The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all-year-round and is supported by partners, including the police and the Angling Trust. Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

    The close season for coarse fishing came into effect on 15 March and runs until 15 June inclusive to prevent fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England, helping to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks.

    Throughout the close season, Environment Agency officers conduct patrols to ensure anglers respect the no fishing period. Notices have been displayed in key fishing areas across the South East reminding anglers of the law.

    Anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 807060 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    Contact us:

    Journalists only: 0800 141 2743 or communications_se@environment-agency.gov.uk.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Secretary-General’s video message at the Ninth Austrian World Summit

    Source: United Nations – English

    strong>Download the video:
    https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/downloads2.unmultimedia.org/public/video/evergreen/MSG+SG+/SG+21+May+25/3399096_MSG+SG+AUSTRIAN+WORLD+SUMMIT+21+MAY+25.mp4

    Excellencies, friends,

    President Van der Bellen, thank you for your leadership.

    And my thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

    It is fitting that the world’s one and only Terminator is focussing our attention on terminating pollution – continuing his history of political leadership and action.

    Unfortunately, our world looks less like an action hero movie and increasingly more like a horror show.

    We face a triple-whammy of woe:

    Pollution clogging rivers, contaminating land, and poisoning our ocean;

    Biodiversity destroyed at record pace; 

    And record levels of greenhouse gases catastrophically disrupting our climate. 

    We salute the real-life heroes on the front-lines when these crises strike:

    The firefighters taking-on infernos…

    The rescuers saving lives as floods sweep communities…

    And the United Nations staff providing food, shelter, and care when crops fail, hurricanes hit, or people are forced from their homes.

    No country – whether rich or poor – can escape these crises.

    And no country can solve them alone. 

    But together, we can reap the rewards of action – from cheap, secure power, to better health.

    The science is on our side. The economics are behind us.

    Almost everywhere, solar and wind are the cheapest source of new electricity.

    The world now invests almost twice as much in clean energy as it does in fossil fuels.

    An energy revolution is underway across the globe. 

    We must unite for action to accelerate it, and drive down global emissions:

    With new national climate plans from countries this year and new transition plans from business.

    These must align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius – to avoid the worst of climate change.

    We must unite in action to drive finance to developing countries so they can make the leap to renewables, adapt to our changing climate, and respond to disasters.

    And we must unite in action to end biodiversity loss and pollution.

    Particularly, countries must agree a new global treaty this year to end plastic pollution. 

    Friends,

    United in action we can terminate pollution and protect people and planet.

    Let’s come together and make that a reality.

    Thank you.

    ***
     

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • Break big smuggling syndicates, curb narcotics trade: FM Sitharaman tells DRI

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to adopt a holistic and technology-driven approach to tackle smuggling and narcotics trade amid increasingly complex geopolitical environment and security threats.

    In her address at the inaugural event of the DRI’s new headquarters, the Finance Minister said there was a need to go beyond surface-level enforcement and focus on uncovering deeper systemic threats.

    “Investigate holistically, keeping the big picture in mind, leverage all available resources to uncover deeper systemic risks and threads by connecting the dots,” she said.

    She emphasised that dismantling the entire smuggling syndicates must be the end-goal of any investigation, which must not stop at peripheral seizures.

    “It’s no good if you catch the small fish. The bigger smuggling chain has to be tracked and acted upon. We must take down those nefarious chains,” she added.

    Sitharaman identified narcotics as the most serious national threat and called for urgent coordination with state law enforcement agencies to prevent schools and colleges from being targeted by drug traffickers.

    She also underlined the importance of internal collaboration: “Internal coordination, when well managed, makes outcomes better.”

    The Finance Minister cited PM Modi’s ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ mantra as the spirit with which the enforcement agencies should move forward.

    She spelt out three guiding principles for the agency’s approach: the rules must be applied fairly, public confidence in the trade system must be maintained, and the enforcement must be intelligent and high-impact.

    “Value- and trust-based compliance is important, not fear-induced compliance,” Sitharaman pointed out.

    She highlighted the need for deeper and faster integration of modern technology into enforcement frameworks. “There’s a lot of talk around AI, but I now want to see concrete output using AI,” she said, pressing for data-driven, intelligence-led action. “More modern technology use needs to be deeply and well integrated into the system – data analytics and so on,” she added.

    (With inputs from IANS)

     

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Youngsters asked to name new baby goats

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    The Council isn’t ‘kidding’ around – two cute new baby goats have arrived at Pets’ Corner in Hazlehead Park and primary school-aged youngers can enter a competition to name them.

    They are both pygmy type of goats with one female who is mostly black with small white patches and the other is a male tan and white one with small black patches. Both have a patch of white ‘hair’ on their heads.

    Aberdeen City Council Operational Delivery vice convener Councillor Miranda Radley said: “I’m sure people visiting Pets’ Corner will eat up seeing these cute new additions faster than a billy goat with their breakfast!

    “We are not ‘kidding’ around when we say we look forward to seeing the entrants for the naming competition.”

    Other animal attractions at Pets’ Corner include alpacas, crossbred pigs, geese, turkey, silkie chickens, sheep, goats, Shetland pony, miniature donkeys, fish, reptiles, budgies, ducks, peacock, meerkats, tortoise, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, emus, Princess Leia the Burmese python, and Lulu the pygmy goat.

    Entry forms for the naming competition are available from the pay hut at Pets’ Corner until Monday 30 June. Primary school aged youngsters are eligible to enter.

    Pets’ Corner is open in April to October from 10am to 5.30pm, October from 10am to 4.15pm, and November to March from 10am to 3.15pm. It is closed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day on January 1, and January 2.

    Admission prices are £5.04 for an adult, £1.56 for a child aged 3 to 16, Free for children under 3, £9.48 for a family pass of 2 adults and 3 children or 1 adult and 4 children, £2.88 for concessions, £58.20 for a yearly family pass, and for educational groups, adult are £2.88, and a child aged 3 to 16 is 72p.

    Dogs are allowed entry and must be kept on leads.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace lights up Fonterra HQ with NZers’ passionate calls for environmental action

    Source: Greenpeace

    This morning, Fonterra’s Auckland headquarters were lit up by Greenpeace with dozens of messages from New Zealanders, who are calling on the dairy giant to take responsibility for its environmental impact.
    These messages included that of Gail, who said “With a dairy farm background I feel sad our dairy industry continues to pollute”.
    Greenpeace spokesperson Sinéad Deighton-O’Flynn says “Fonterra is New Zealand’s worst environmental polluter. They’re cooking the climate with superheating methane gas, contaminating rural communities’ drinking water with harmful levels of nitrate, and destroying the rainforests of Southeast Asia for cheap cow feed.
    “New Zealanders care deeply about nature. No one wants to know that the butter they’re spreading on their toast, or the milk they’re pouring in their coffee, is linked to environmental destruction. But unfortunately, the way that Fonterra chooses to run its business means that is currently the case.
    “People have expressed their shame and disgust at Fonterra’s blatant disregard for protecting nature, and they’ve shared how the intensive dairy industry has impacted their lives. We’ve come here to bring their voices directly to Fonterra, to hold this superpolluter accountable for its environmental crimes.”
    Greenpeace recently announced that Fonterra is seeking three hundred thousand dollars in reparations over a peaceful climate protest that took place at the Fonterra Te Rapa factory last year.
    “This is a draconian effort to silence peaceful protest, but we will not be intimidated. Greenpeace and concerned individuals from across the country will continue to hold Fonterra accountable, despite their attempts to silence us,” says Deighton-O’Flynn.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Erik Thedéen: On risk, uncertainty and geoeconomic fragmentation

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    The last five years have been unusually turbulent. We have lived through the worst pandemic in a hundred years, Russia has invaded Ukraine, and the United States has started trade conflicts with several of its most important trading partners, including China and the EU. We have also had a period of very high inflation that has now fortunately fallen back to normal levels; see Figure 1.

    In recent months, uncertainty in the global economy has increased strongly, not least due to the United States’ new trade policy. In our latest Monetary Policy Update, published last week, we assessed that international developments – particularly the elevated uncertainty – are dampening the economic prospects in Sweden. In turn, this suggests that inflation, in the long term, may become lower than in our most recently published forecast from March. But we also pointed out that there are several risk factors, such as those linked to companies’ global value chains, and that inflation thus could well become unexpectedly high.

    This illustrates, almost too clearly, that the economic outlook and inflation prospects are always uncertain and there are several reasons for this. One of them is that our models cannot capture all the complex relationships that characterise real economies. There could also be uncertainty over political decisions or how developments abroad affect the Swedish economy. However, regardless of the reason, we cannot exactly know what inflation will be in two years or how changes in the policy rate will affect inflation. The pandemic also reminded us that sometimes unpredictable events happen that can have major economic consequences.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Britain’s hospitality sector to save £3 million under new scheme

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Britain’s hospitality sector to save £3 million under new scheme

    Britain’s pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to save £3 million under emissions cutting scheme.

    • Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to receive free energy and carbon cutting advice to slash their energy bills as part of the government’s Plan for Change 
    • Trial to save hospitality sector £3 million on bills and reduce 2,700 tonnes of carbon emissions 
    • Zero Carbon Services will advise 600 British small businesses under scheme 

    Pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels across the UK will have lower energy bills thanks to a new emissions cutting trial as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

    Over 600 small and medium sized hospitality businesses will receive free energy and carbon reduction assessments to cut energy costs, support productivity and boost growth.

    Funded by the government and delivered by Zero Carbon Services, one of the UK’s leading net-zero advisers for the hospitality sector, the trial is expected to save businesses over £3 million. This will help pubs and restaurants to keep more money in their pockets – while allowing them to invest in jobs and continue to be the hubs of communities. 

    Minister for Industry Sarah Jones said: 

    Pubs, restaurants and cafes are a cornerstone for communities across the country, with the hospitality sector employing millions of people and contributing billions to the economy. 

    By providing business owners with expert advice to cut bills and reduce emissions, this will help them keep more money in their pockets to grow their business, employ local people and continue to serve your pint of lager or fish and chips.

    Zero Carbon Services CEO Mark Chapman said: 

    Climate change is already impacting hospitality with extreme weather events reducing sales and increasing food supply costs. Combined with other cost increases, there has never been a more important time to both recover lost profits and take credible action on reducing carbon emissions, the key cause of climate change. 

    We’ve already helped thousands of UK pubs, restaurants and hotels, to cut carbon and costs and thanks to this scheme, we can now offer that support for free to even more independent businesses. 

    Most venues have opportunities to save energy, food and money without realising it. By combining smart data with one-to-one coaching, we help operators take simple, practical steps to reduce waste, lower emissions, and improve day-to-day efficiency. It’s about making small changes that add up — cutting waste, protecting profits and building a stronger, more resilient sector.

    Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: 

    Hospitality businesses have already made great strides to reduce their emissions but are keen to go further and faster in order to save costs and become more sustainable.  

    We’re pleased to support this new trial that can help businesses further cut their emissions, and we’re looking forward to working with the government and Zero Carbon Services on its rollout.

    Emma McClarkin, CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said:  

    This initiative is welcome and will give valuable insights into the ways the sector can become more energy efficient which could help to cut down on energy bills.  

    This is no small sum and we’re pleased that government has acted on our calls to support the sector through boosting funding to undertake this kind of work.

    Steve Alton, CEO of British Institute of Innkeeping, said: 

    Running a lean, sustainable pub business is vital for operators across the UK. We have supported our members with their carbon measurement and reduction over the past 2 years as part of our Sustainability Champions programme, so we are delighted that Zero Carbon Services can now offer more support via free assessments and coaching to over 600 operators.

    The hospitality sector is largely made up of SMEs and supports 3.5 million jobs, while contributing £93 billion to the UK economy. 

    The scheme will support businesses to make cost effective changes such as fixing insulation gaps, upgrading to low energy lighting or tweaking heating settings that will add up to significant savings over the year. 

    A recent report from the Federation of Small Businesses found that 64% of small businesses believe sustainability should be a high priority for the government, but only 26% of small businesses believe they have the appropriate knowledge to transition their business to net zero. 

    The Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial will help hospitality businesses by putting business owners in direct contact with the expertise of trusted energy and sustainability advisers. 

    The launch of the trial comes ahead of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in the UK’s key sectors including clean energy. Meanwhile, a renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for the government’s approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.   

    Notes to editor  

    The government has provided £350,000 to fund the Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial, which will run from May 2025 to March 2026.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • IPL 2025: Rain in focus as RCB-PBKS take centerstage for title clash in Ahmedabad

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to welcome its new winner on Tuesday when Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on each other in the title clash at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to lift their maiden silverware.

    RCB and PBKS have been part of the tournament since its inception in 2008. Both sides have come close to lifting the IPL trophy but ended as runners-up. RCB played three finals (2009, 2011, 2016) before this year’s title clash, while Punjab had their chance in 2014.

    With the excitement among fans of both franchises reaching the pinnacle, the encounter is going to be a nail-biting affair. However, the weather is likely to make it more intense for the fans with a rain threat looming around the match.

    According to AccuWeather, the temperature in Ahmedabad will be around 36°C at the beginning of the game, dropping to around 31°C by the end. Humidity levels will range between 52% and 63% during match hours. The sky is expected to be cloudy for most of the time, and there is around 2% to 5% chance of rain to interrupt the game.

    In case of a washout on Tuesday, the IPL 2025 final will be played on the reserve day – Wednesday. In case of a complete washout on both days, which is highly unlikely, the team that has finished at the top (Punjab Kings) will lift the title.

    Ahmedabad also hosted the IPL final in 2023, which was significantly disrupted by rain. The match, initially set for May 28, had to be postponed without a single ball being bowled. Fortunately, the Board of Control for Cricket in India utilised a reserve day to hold the final the following day.

    However, rain continued to interfere, leading to a shortened contest, with the second innings limited to just 15 overs. Ravindra Jadeja’s last-ball heroics guided Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title against the home side Gujarat Titans.

    (IANS)

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the first quarter of 2025

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) today (June 3) released the statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the first quarter of 2025.
     
         In the first quarter of 2025, total port cargo throughput decreased by 3.9% to 41.1 million tonnes over a year earlier. Within this total, inward port cargo decreased by 10.8% to 24.5 million tonnes, while outward port cargo increased by 8.6% to 16.6 million tonnes.
     
         On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput increased by 2.6% in the first quarter of 2025. Within this total, inward port cargo decreased by 1.3% compared with the preceding quarter, while outward port cargo increased by 8.9% compared with the preceding quarter. The seasonally adjusted series enables more meaningful shorter-term comparison to be made for discerning possible variations in trends.
     
    Port cargo
     
         In the first quarter of 2025, within port cargo, seaborne and river cargo decreased by 3.7% and 4.2% to 25.9 million tonnes and 15.2 million tonnes respectively over a year earlier.
     
         Comparing the first quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, a double-digit increase was recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Chile (+33.3%). On the other hand, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Vietnam (-30.6%), Taiwan (-23.9%), Malaysia (-21.6%), Thailand (-21.4%), Korea (-18.5%), Japan (-13.8%) and the mainland of China (-13.2%). For outward port cargo, double-digit increases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in Australia (+28.3%), Taiwan (+22.8%) and the mainland of China (+22.5%). On the other hand, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in the United States of America (-31.9%), the Philippines (-30.6%), Malaysia (-27.8%), Thailand (-25.9%), Japan (-21.5%) and Vietnam (-18.1%).
     
         Comparing the first quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo of “metalliferous ores and metal scrap” (+24.9%), “artificial resins and plastic materials” (-15.0%) and “stone, sand and gravel” (-37.7%). As for outward port cargo, triple-digit or double-digit changes were recorded in the tonnage of “stone, sand and gravel” (+122.9%), “metalliferous ores and metal scrap” (+15.6%) and “artificial resins and plastic materials” (-20.6%).
     
    Containers
     
         In the first quarter of 2025, the port of Hong Kong handled 3.37 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, representing an increase of 1.6% over a year earlier. Within this total, laden containers decreased by 3.3% to 2.58 million TEUs, while empty containers increased by 21.2% to 0.80 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward and outward containers decreased by 2.9% and 3.6% to 1.39 million TEUs and 1.19 million TEUs respectively.
     
         On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput increased by 1.6% in the first quarter of 2025. Within this total, inward laden containers increased by 3.3%, while outward laden containers decreased by 0.4%.
     
         In the first quarter of 2025, seaborne and river laden containers decreased by 3.3% and 3.2% to 1.82 million TEUs and 0.76 million TEUs respectively over a year earlier.
     
    Vessel arrivals
     
         Comparing the first quarter of 2025 with a year earlier, the number of ocean vessel arrivals decreased by 1.1% to 4 506, with the total capacity also decreasing by 3.8% to 70.8 million net tons. Meanwhile, the number of river vessel arrivals decreased by 0.7% to 19 800, while the total capacity increased by 22.6% to 23.1 million net tons.
     
    Further information
     
         Port cargo and laden container statistics are compiled from a sample of consignments listed in the cargo manifests supplied by shipping companies and agents to the C&SD. Vessel statistics are compiled by the Marine Department primarily from general declarations submitted by ship masters and authorised shipping agents. Pleasure vessels and fishing vessels plying exclusively within the river trade limits are excluded.
     
         Table 1 presents the detailed port cargo statistics.
     
         Table 2 and Table 3 respectively present the inward and outward port cargo statistics by main countries/territories of loading and discharge.
     
         Table 4 and Table 5 respectively present the inward and outward port cargo statistics by principal commodities.
     
         Table 6 presents the detailed container statistics.
     
         Table 7 presents the statistics on vessel arrivals in Hong Kong.
     
         More detailed statistics on port cargo, containers and vessels are published in the report “Hong Kong Shipping Statistics, First Quarter 2025”. Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020008&scode=230).
     
         For enquiries about port cargo and container statistics, please contact the Electronic Trading Services and Cargo Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 2126 or email: shipping@censtatd.gov.hk). For enquiries about vessel statistics, readers may contact the Statistics Section under the Planning, Development and Port Security Branch of the Marine Department (Tel: 2852 3662 or email: st-sec@mardep.gov.hk).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s young kitchen wizards establishing careers as on-demand chefs

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    A wok sizzled as garlic chives and Chinese kale hit hot oil, while pork rib and lotus root soup simmered with a bubbling sound on a stove. In addition, a whole fish, steamed and doused in soy sauce, could be spotted on the kitchen counter, neighboring a pile of spicy crawfish coated in chili oil.

    Ding Yuqing, 23, juggled preparation of these dishes while navigating an unfamiliar kitchen. A college student in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, she was making a hometown feast for a family who hired her to cook in their home.

    “I love cooking,” she said. “Such home-cooking visits have improved my skills, and I really enjoy cooking for others.”

    Ding is part of a rising wave of young Chinese embracing a new gig, that of on-demand chef. Often students, office workers or freelancers, they offer homemade meals to time-starved urbanites seeking the likes of health, comfort and a taste of home.

    On social media, the trend is hot. Hashtags related to “on-demand chefs” have amassed over 1.45 billion views on Douyin and more than 35 million on “rednote,” an app better known as Xiaohongshu. Notably, last month, a viral story about a woman earning nearly 20,000 yuan (about 2,784 U.S. dollars) a month cooking six meals a day rocketed to the top of Sina Weibo’s trending list.

    HEALTH ON THE MENU

    For Ding, it all began with a few food photos. Over the winter break last year, she posted snapshots of her home-cooked dishes online. To her surprise, requests started rolling in, asking: “Can you come cook for me?”

    “At first, I was nervous cooking in someone else’s kitchen,” she admitted. “Now it’s second nature.”

    She currently offers services within a 10-kilometer radius on weekends and during school breaks. Before each visit, she discusses taste preferences with her clients and asks them to supply ingredients and seasonings. After preparing meals, she also tidies up, washes dishes and even takes out the trash for her clients.

    For a typical order of three dishes and one soup, Ding receives a payment of 80-100 yuan.

    Most of her clients, she noted, are young people juggling hectic schedules. One repeat customer, a 30-year-old office worker, has hired her more than 30 times. “This customer and her husband are both too busy to cook,” Ding explained.

    China’s busy urban workers have long relied on the country’s sprawling food delivery sector, which employs over 10 million scooter-riding couriers, but Ding’s case may reflect a consumption upgrade, with a sizable number of urbanites willing to dig deeper into their pockets for healthier and bespoke alternatives to takeout.

    Li Xiaoyang, a 30-year-old from Wuhan, said this new type of service became essential for him after a bad experience with takeout left him sick for a week.

    “Having someone cook for you means personalized dishes, better hygiene and a more relaxed atmosphere, whether it’s a family dinner or a classmate reunion,” Li said.

    Entrepreneurs have taken notice of this booming market. Hu Quanyu, founder of Chef51, an on-demand platform that connects professional chefs with customers, said the service now operates in over 50 cities across China and works with more than 1,500 chefs.

    Hu plans to launch a new platform aimed at part-time cooking enthusiasts, allowing them to pick up orders posted by users. The system will provide basic checks like ID and health certificates.

    “The new service of on-demand home cooking is more affordable and flexible for budget-conscious young consumers,” he said, adding that the trend reflects changing consumption habits among China’s younger generation, who, fueled by rising incomes, are increasingly investing in health, convenience and quality of life.

    A report by Zhiyan Consulting underscored this shift. It showed that the value of China’s health and wellness market surpassed 1 trillion yuan in 2023 — with people aged 18 to 35 accounting for 83.7 percent of this market.

    SIDE HUSTLE TURNS SERIOUS

    China’s “on-demand economy” has diversified rapidly in recent years, with services ranging from in-home elderly care to space organization within homes. These offerings have been hailed for meeting personalized consumer demands, thus promoting consumption, but also for creating much-needed new job opportunities.

    Back in 2022, the Chinese government issued a guideline aimed at improving gig economy services to boost employment.

    The number of flexible workers in China exceeded 265 million in 2024, including 175 million engaged in platform-based gig work, according to an industry report by Hangzhou-based Gongmall, a digital solutions provider for the gig sector. By 2050, total wages in the sector are expected to exceed 50 trillion yuan.

    Still, the fast-growing on-demand chef industry is not without risks and shortcomings. While recognizing its contribution to flexible employment and urban lifestyles, Hu Junjie, a lawyer based in Hubei, said safety and liability concerns remain due to a lack of regulations governing this novel service.

    The lawyer thus called for a clearer legal framework, better protection for workers, and more oversight from relevant platforms and authorities. “That said, China already has similar platform services like food delivery and taxi-hailing, management of which is quite mature, and thereby serves as a useful reference,” he added.

    For some, like Xia Lu (not her real name), the on-demand chef role has evolved from a side hustle to a full-time profession. Burned out from long working hours, the 27-year-old native of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, known among her social media followers for her fiery, flavor-packed cooking, quit her job with a foreign-owned company in Beijing in late 2023.

    She now charges at least 128 yuan per home-cooking trip and handles up to three clients a day. While her current income, about 7,000 yuan a month, is lower than her previous job, Xia relishes the greater freedom it offers her.

    “When the weather’s good, I go hiking. When it rains, I rest,” she said. “I’ve never felt so free and fulfilled.”

    She’s planning to leave Beijing next summer to open a private kitchen in Yunnan, a southwestern province known for its beautiful scenery, slower pace of life and constant flow of hungry tourists.

    For Ding Yuqing, meanwhile, the momentum is only just beginning.

    “I believe the on-demand chef industry will continue to grow,” she said. “It not only meets the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers, but also gives passionate cooks like me a meaningful and flexible career path.”

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What’s a ‘Strombolian eruption?’ A volcanologist explains what happened at Mount Etna

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Teresa Ubide, ARC Future Fellow and Associate Professor in Igneous Petrology/Volcanology, The University of Queensland

    Fabrizio Villa / Getty Images

    On Monday morning local time, a huge cloud of ash, hot gas and rock fragments began spewing from Italy’s Mount Etna.

    An enormous plume was seen stretching several kilometres into the sky from the mountain on the island of Sicily, which is the largest active volcano in Europe.

    While the blast created an impressive sight, the eruption resulted in no reported injuries or damage and barely even disrupted flights on or off the island. Mount Etna eruptions are commonly described as “Strombolian eruptions” – though as we will see, that may not apply to this event.

    What happened at Etna?

    The eruption began with an increase of pressure in the hot gases inside the volcano. This led to the partial collapse of part of one of the craters atop Etna.

    The collapse allowed what is called a pyroclastic flow: a fast-moving cloud of ash, hot gas and fragments of rock bursting out from inside the volcano.

    Thermal camera images show the eruption and flows of lava down the side of Mount Etna.
    National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, CC BY

    Next, lava began to flow in three different directions down the mountainside. These flows are now cooling down. On Monday evening, Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology announced the volcanic activity had ended.

    Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, so this eruption is reasonably normal.

    What is a Strombolian eruption?

    Volcanologists classify eruptions by how explosive they are. More explosive eruptions tend to be more dangerous, because they move faster and cover a larger area.

    At the mildest end are Hawaiian eruptions. You have probably seen pictures of these: lava flowing sedately down the slope of the volcano. The lava damages whatever it runs into, but it’s a relatively local effect.

    As eruptions grow more explosive, they send ash and rock fragments flying further afield.

    At the more explosive end of the scale are Plinian eruptions. These include the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, described by the Roman writer Pliny the Younger, which buried the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under metres of ash.

    In a Plinian eruption, hot gas, ash, and rock can explode high enough to reach the stratosphere – and when the eruption column collapses, the debris falls to Earth and can wreak terrifying destruction over a huge area.

    What about Strombolian eruptions? These relatively mild eruptions are named after Stromboli, another Italian volcano which belches out a minor eruption every 10 to 20 minutes.

    In a Strombolian eruption, chunks of rock and cinders may travel tens or hundreds of metres through the air, but rarely further. The pyroclastic flow from yesterday’s eruption at Etna was rather more explosive than this – so it wasn’t strictly Strombolian.

    Can we forecast volcano eruptions?

    Volcanic eruptions are a bit like weather. They are very hard to predict in detail, but we are a lot better than we used to be at forecasting them.

    To understand what a volcano will do in the future, we first need to know what is happening inside it right now. We can’t look inside directly, but we do have indirect measurements.

    For example, before an eruption magma travels from deep inside the Earth up to the surface. On the way, it pushes rocks apart and can generate earthquakes. If we record the vibrations of these quakes, we can track the magma’s journey from the depths.

    Rising magma can also make the ground near a volcano bulge upwards very slightly, by a few millimetres or centimetres. We can monitor this bulging, for example with satellites, to gather clues about an upcoming eruption.

    Some volcanoes release gas even when they are not strictly erupting. We can measure the chemicals in this gas – and if they change, it can tell us that new magma is on its way to the surface.

    When we have this information about what’s happening inside the volcano, we also need to understand its “personality” to know what the information means for future eruptions.

    Are volcanic eruptions more common than in the past?

    As a volcanologist, I often hear from people that it seems there are more volcanic eruptions now than in the past. This is not the case.

    What is happening, I tell them, is that we have better monitoring systems now, and a very active global media system. So we know about more eruptions – and even see photos of them.

    Monitoring is extremely important. We are fortunate that many volcanoes in places such as Italy, the United States, Indonesia and New Zealand have excellent monitoring in place.

    This monitoring allows local authorities to issue warnings when an eruption is imminent. For a visitor or tourist out to see the spectacular natural wonder of a volcano, listening to these warnings is all-important.

    Teresa Ubide does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What’s a ‘Strombolian eruption?’ A volcanologist explains what happened at Mount Etna – https://theconversation.com/whats-a-strombolian-eruption-a-volcanologist-explains-what-happened-at-mount-etna-258060

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Hooning incident on new Bridgewater Bridge

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Hooning incident on new Bridgewater Bridge

    Tuesday, 3 June 2025 – 12:39 pm.

    Police are investigating reckless driving on the new Bridgewater Bridge overnight, involving dangerous and irresponsible hooning behaviour.
    The incident happened about 1.15am Tuesday in the northbound lanes. It was reported to police shortly after it happened and is now the subject of an active investigation.
    Police are working to identify those responsible and have urged members of the public to assist the investigation if they can.
    Hooning – including street racing, burnouts, and other dangerous driving behaviour – places innocent road users at serious risk. These actions are not only illegal, but demonstrate a complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of others.
    Tasmania Police is increasingly frustrated by the selfish and reckless actions of a small number of individuals who continue to engage in this type of behaviour.
    The reality is simple. Sooner or later, someone will get seriously hurt or killed. And when that happens, the responsibility will rest solely with those who made the decision to break the law.
    In Tasmania, hooning offences carry significant penalties of up to 40 penalty units (currently $8080), imprisonment for up to six months, and vehicle confiscation
    Police urge anyone with information, or has access to dash-cam footage, to contact police on 131 444 or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au
    Footage of dangerous driving can be uploaded via the evidence portal on the Tasmania Police website (police.tas.gov.au/report)

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why do our pupils dilate when we’re aroused? Anatomy experts explain

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amanda Meyer, Senior Lecturer, Anatomy and Pathology in the College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University

    His gaze softens as he draws closer to you. With one hand around your waist and the other cradling your jaw, he pulls you in. You look into his eyes, and notice his pupils have grown large and hungry.

    So the story goes in every other romance novel, where enlarged pupils are commonly enlisted as imagery to indicate sexual arousal. And it’s not unusual to read advice online suggesting dilated pupils are a sure sign someone you like also likes you back.

    But what does the science say?

    In fact, it’s true: our pupils really do tend to grow large when we’re aroused. Here’s why.

    What is the pupil?

    The pupil is an opening in the iris (the coloured part of the eye) which directs light through the eyeball and onto the retina.

    Typically this opening is 2-4 millimetres in diameter in bright light, and 4-8 millimetres in darkness.

    The black colour of the pupil is the colour of the inside of your eye. Surrounding the pupil are two tiny muscles of the iris which are under separate control.

    The muscle around the edge of the pupil acts like a sphincter. When stimulated by the parasympathetic nervous system (sometimes known as the “rest and digest” system), it contracts to close down the pupil.

    On the outside of the sphincter, another muscle acts like the springs holding the trampoline mat.

    When stimulated by the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” system), it shortens to enlarge the pupil.

    The pupil is an opening in the iris.
    rtem/Shutterstock

    Your pupils and the six ‘fs’

    There are two different mechanisms to make the pupils dilate.

    The first is by direct sympathetic nervous system stimulation causing the pupil to dilate (enlarge). This is triggered when you need or want to:

    1. fight
    2. flee
    3. feed
    4. fornicate
    5. get a “fix” (of illicit drugs such as cocaine or methamphetamine)

    The second is by stopping the signals of the parasympathetic nerves going to the sphincter muscle of the pupil. This is triggered when you need or want to focus (number 6).

    Together, these are sometimes known as “the six f’s”.

    So, is it the same for all of us?

    A meta-analysis of 550 heterosexual men, 403 heterosexual women, 132 lesbian women, 124 bisexual men and 65 gay men reported that pupil dilation is related to your sex and your sexual preferences.

    Overall, the study found men’s pupils dilate strictly according to their sexual preferences, and women’s pupils dilate more variably.

    The study found that heterosexual men’s pupils dilated more in response to erotic imagery of women, and gay men’s pupils dilated more in response to erotic imagery of men.

    However, lesbian women’s pupils also dilated more in response to erotic imagery of men, and heterosexual women’s pupils dilated for erotic imagery of men and women.

    Pupil dilation triggers can be different for different people.
    Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

    Are large pupils more attractive?

    Interestingly, a study of 60 young adults (aged between 18 and 26) found pupils of 5 millimetre diameter most attractive.

    A pupil of 5 millimetres is abnormal for situations in bright light. Could it be that we’re attracted to the types of pupils we’ve seen before in the relative darkness of an intimate setting?

    The idea of large pupils being attractive isn’t new. During the Renaissance in Italy, women used eye drops made from a poisonous plant called Atropa belladonna (belladonna means “beautiful woman” in Italian) to make their pupils dilate. This gave them a wide-eyed, “seductive” look (it also, unfortunately, was rather dangerous).

    The plant contains a chemical called atropine, which is still (safely) used today by ophthalmologists and optometrists to dilate the pupils for eye exams or surgery.

    Getting in sync

    Pupil dilation also plays a role in social and interpersonal interactions. Studies have found administration of oxytocin (a hormone associated with bonding and trust) enhances pupil responses to emotional expressions, suggesting increased sensitivity to social cues.

    Pupil dilation synchrony between people has been linked to better teamwork and mutual attraction, reflecting shared arousal states.

    This phenomenon, sometimes referred to as “pupil mimicry” or “pupil contagion”, aligns with other autonomic synchronisations such as heart rate.

    It all goes to show that so much of connection and attraction is subconscious.

    So much of attraction is subconscious.
    RZ Images/Shutterstock

    What else can make the pupils dilate?

    Various substances and medical conditions can also affect pupil size. Stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall, anticholinergics (often used to treat Parkinson’s disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and certain medications such as phenylephrine (Sudafed PE), and benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax) can all cause pupil dilation.

    So too can illicit drugs such as cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, LSD and cannabis.

    Some neurological conditions or closed angle glaucoma, as well as stressful situations, can cause the pupils to stay dilated (a condition known as mydriasis).

    If you have prolonged dilation of your pupils, you should speak to your doctor.

    Does intellectual or emotional arousal cause pupil dilation?

    When you are trying to solve a mathematics problem, listening carefully as you take notes, or listening to your favourite singer’s music, your pupils will enlarge.

    Anticipation of rewards, emotional conflict, and processing of emotionally charged stimuli – such as scary movies or certain trigger sounds – also lead to increased pupil size.

    Anxiety, pain, and even conditions such as fibromyalgia have also been linked to dilated pupils.

    Context is everything

    It is crucial to emphasise pupil dilation doesn’t automatically mean someone is aroused. Interpreting pupil dilation requires context, and you can’t assume big pupils means the person is attracted to you.

    Verbal consent and other behavioural cues are essential.

    If you’re wondering if the other person likes you, why not just ask?

    Amanda Meyer is affiliated with the Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists, the American Association for Anatomy, and the Global Neuroanatomy Network.

    Monika Zimanyi is affiliated with the Global Neuroanatomy Network

    – ref. Why do our pupils dilate when we’re aroused? Anatomy experts explain – https://theconversation.com/why-do-our-pupils-dilate-when-were-aroused-anatomy-experts-explain-257452

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Hochul Is a Guest on Univision 41

    Source: US State of New York

    arlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on Univision 41 with Mariela Salgado. The Governor spoke on the detrimental effects of the Trump administration’s federal cuts on the State of New York, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and congestion pricing.

    AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

    A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Governor, I think the economy is always a factor. We look from the pandemic; it’s been a cycle that’s been affecting everybody — not only New Yorkers, but the entire country — and there’s uncertainty. You just approved your Budget, it’s been approved. Congratulations about that.

    Governor Hochul: Thank you, thank you.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: There’s a lot of things that people are going to see right away in their pockets. Thinking as a parent, I think about the lunch they’re going to see in schools immediately; more possibilities with child care, that’s something that parents are going to see right away. Beautiful.

    We have to wait for the child credit, and, correct me if I’m wrong, one thing that there’s confusion, and I would like clarification on that, people ask me on the streets — I’m a news reporter, so I’m always on the road, “When are we getting the checks, the inflation checks?” Can you give us clarity on that?

    Governor Hochul: My vision for the State and lifting families up who have been hit so hard with our current economy was to put more money back in their pockets. In fact, I said, “Your family is my fight,” and within that, we decided to focus intensely on affordability. And, as you mentioned, there’s a $1,000 tax credit for every child under the age of four, $500 for older children. So that’s money back in parents’ pockets when they file their taxes next year.

    We have the largest middle class tax cut in the last 70 years — that’s money back in their pockets when they do their taxes; and also covering the cost of school lunches and breakfasts — that’s, on average, about $1,600 per child in each family.

    And you mentioned the inflation rebates, and this is so important. I’ve gone to bodegas, I’ve gone to grocery stores, I’ve gone all over shopping with moms. I’m a mom, I know what it’s like to try to use the coupons and make things stretch. That’s going to be $400 in many family’s pockets — it’s starting this fall.

    So when they’re getting ready for back-to-school shopping or trying to get ready for the holidays. I know that’s an important time. So all of this is being rolled out, but you know what it adds up to? About $5,000 back in families’ pockets at a time when, as you said, the economy is really challenging and people are worried about whether tariffs from the federal administration.

    What does a tariff mean? It’s a tax. It increases the prices of everything. And our residents have been hit so hard with COVID, and inflation and now the worry that there’s going to be — the shelves will be empty when it comes time for Christmas shopping. So families are under duress, stress, and my job as the first Mom Governor is to understand that — I do understand it, but also how can I relieve that stress?

    And so, I’m glad you asked because I want people to know that help is on its way.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: It’s coming now? This fall?

    Governor Hochul: Yes.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: That’s great — people were thinking it was next year. So I’m going to mention tariffs because I was jumping to that too because everything is kind of weaving together. Trump administration being on a legal battle right now trying to impose tariffs in other countries, and this is — even though the court international trade has said that he didn’t have the — he doesn’t have the power to do so to kind of control commerce, but his lawyers claim that there is an emergency at the national level, economic emergency, and it needs to be done and that creates uncertainty, in a way.

    And we would like to know how you feel about that — do you agree with President Trump and do you see any impact in New York State in our economy because of tariffs?

    Governor Hochul: Seeing very much an impact in New York State, and I’ll give you a few examples. First of all, New York City gets much of its produce, it’s a grocery, it’s food from Upstate farmers. Upstate New York farmers are paying more for everything because of the tariffs, so our own products for the grocery store are going to be more expensive.

    People are not coming to our city who are — Canadians are coming from Europe; our tourism is starting to decline and that’s going to help start to affect not just our tourism, but also, people would be shopping in stores and helping the economy get stronger by their sales and sales tax revenues that we collect.

    So we can feel the effect all over that. I think there’ll be a shortage of supplies and shortages of commodities and products that we get from places like China because it’s going to be just too expensive, and either the retailers won’t buy the product and put it on the shelves or the prices will be higher. That’s going to happen as a direct result of the Trump tariffs and I support some targeted tariffs to make sure that we’re not being taken advantage of —

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Right because eventually, wouldn’t more tariffs, the taxes — wouldn’t that help us eventually? As far as income for the United States.

    Governor Hochul: That’s assuming that everything made offshore will come back and be made in the United States — everything. We’re focused on the economy that has good paying jobs, lifts people up, keeps people not struggling around the poverty line, but really helps families be able to pay for their rent and — if they’re able to, fortunate to have a house — pay for the mortgage, and utilities and child care.

    But I don’t see a lot of those jobs coming back here; I really don’t see that happening as a result of this. Just look back to where this economy was back in December, early January. Economists around the world say, “We’re in really good shape right now.” People’s 401-ks were in better shape, people’s savings were better, prices were starting to see a turn downward. And all of a sudden with these tariffs that just sent chaos into the global market, sent chaos into the stores, sent chaos into everyone’s lives, and that’s what we’re trying to process right now, but it’s going to have a very negative impact on New York families. That’s why we’re sounding the alarm about it.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: And the way you do your following Budgets, would that have an impact on your Budget as well?

    Governor Hochul: Yeah, of course. Of course. It’s going to reduce our revenues that come into the State, and we fund $254 billion worth of services — that’s everything from covering Medicaid, which, as you know in Washington, is very much jeopardized.

    Our health care is going to be very negatively impacted, and one out of three New York residents receive Medicaid right now. It’s mostly little kids and senior citizens in nursing homes, and they’re slashing so much money that people are going to lose health care. Some of our safety net hospitals, whether it’s in the Bronx or Brooklyn — where I was yesterday — they’re going to lose the support they need to stay alive, and as a result, even people who are not on Medicaid won’t have a hospital to go to — their services will be cut.

    So there’s this huge ripple effect on everyday lives. It’s going to affect our Budgets when we try to do what we can with less revenue coming in and less money from the federal government. With Medicaid alone, they’re planning to cut $13.5 billion from the State of New York, $3 billion cut from our hospitals. Our hospitals need that federal money and Washington is turning their back on our residents — and basically, it’s Robin Hood in reverse. They’re taking money from the poor to give tax breaks for the very wealthiest and I am so opposed to that and all New Yorkers I believe should stand with us and oppose that.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Well, that was my next question that you mentioned actually, that over seven million New Yorkers are enrolled in Medicaid and about a third are children, as you were talking about. My understanding is that the Big Beautiful Bill is aiming to put new restrictions because the Trump administration really wants to make sure that people are using it accordingly but people are going to lose some of their services. So, what can New York do to help them? Why is it a problem for people to work and have hours put in? Why is that going to cancel their services? Why is that going to leave them without Medicaid?

    Governor Hochul: What the Republicans have done in the House of Representatives and supported by seven Republicans from the State of New York who were voting against the interest of their own constituents — that passed, it has major cuts to Medicaid and it is not just about people working. But we have the majority of people on Medicaid do go out and earn a paycheck every day; it just doesn’t give them enough money, their wages are just too low, and so they need Medicaid. It doesn’t mean they’re not working.

    But, on the other hand, I can’t expect little kids to work; I can’t expect a senior citizen getting care in a nursing home to work. I mean, it’s absolutely unreal. People with disabilities? They can’t work. So they’ve made up this whole dynamic. We’re saying, “We won’t cut your services. We’re just going after the work issue and making them work.”

    That’s not what the challenge is. They’re cutting money to fund tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and it’s just wrong. It’s cruel and it hurts the most vulnerable. And this program has been in place for over 60 years and it’s lifted people up and gives them the dignity of health care — everybody deserves it. It’s going to create havoc, real problems in the State of New York, because so many people use this primary form of health insurance.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Is there any place from the Budget that you can take to supplement that?

    Governor Hochul: We received $93 billion every year in support from the federal government. There is no state in this country that can make up for all those cuts; and it’s not just Medicaid — it is education cuts, it is child care, it is nutrition programs. At the same time, I’m trying to cover the cost of lunches and breakfast, and put money back in people’s pockets. They’re making it impossible, harder to survive for struggling families, and that is what is so wrong about this and why here in the State of New York, our view is completely different. I know who I’m fighting for — I’m fighting for New York families and families that start out struggling, but are here because they want to live the American dream and get a chance to get ahead. The federal government is standing in our way.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: I have to touch immigration quickly, Governor, because the Trump administration have cut the DPS which was put in by the Biden administration. Hundreds of thousands benefit from that and now we’re seeing ICE agents waiting for people who are trying to do their appointments, hearings and we’re seeing people being arrested. What is your take on that? And also, do you agree this being a tool to deport people? And what do you also think about Mayor Adams’ participation in all the plans that the Trump administration has, because some people are considering that a betrayal to the immigrant community?

    Governor Hochul: What the ICE agents are doing right now is contrary to what Donald Trump said when he was running for office and what Republicans said when they got elected and now control both Houses in Washington. They said they were only going after the “worst of the worst” criminals: serious offenders, the murderers, the rapists. We want those individuals removed and the State of New York will cooperate with ICE in those cases where you show there’s a warrant, or a subpoena or a court order that says, “These individuals have committed these crimes here or in their home country, and all immigrant communities would want them removed to keep us safer.”

    But they weren’t supposed to go after the people that are working in our bodegas, and working in health care — home health care aids — working in agriculture all around the state, just struggling to lift up their own families. And I think it’s important that they’re really tricking, people that are following the rules, were granted legal status with temporary protective status — many Venezuelans, in particular. They came here with the promise of a legal status while they applied for asylum, and now they took that away from them and left them here without a legal basis for being here, and now they’re exposed and vulnerable.

    And those who are checking in, going down to immigration officers and saying, “Here I am. I’m doing what you require me to do as I’m on that path to hopefully receive asylum.” They’re setting up traps for them and I’m so appalled by this that there’s families being separated, people who did nothing, teenagers pulled from their mothers and sent to a country that they were never raised in as older children.

    With respect to the City of New York, I can’t address that. All I know is that our policies in New York State are rock solid. We’ll help you, ICE, with serious offenders, remove them. Someone serves time in a prison for a crime, they’re removed at the end — but short of that? Those who are here to live the American dream, they’re already here.

    Yes, we don’t want open borders. We don’t want open borders, but can we find a path to legitimate citizenship for those who have already arrived? Can we just do that? It shows our compassion. We have the Statue of Liberty in our harbor. That’s a symbol of our values as New Yorkers. And what is happening now — it’s shocking at a scale that people are living in the shadows, living in fear, afraid to go to school, afraid to go to churches, afraid to go shopping and this is not the America people were promised.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: You had a victory with congestion pricing, at least in courts, but you do have a relationship with President Trump. How would you grade that? How is your relationship with him in that issue and other issues?

    Governor Hochul: When the President was first elected, I knew my responsibility was to always put New Yorkers first, and that means at least having an open door, a relationship with the President and his administration on areas where we can find common ground. For example, Penn Station: that is a building that should be magnificent, it should be welcoming, it should be something that we’re proud of, but it takes billions of dollars to renovate it and bring it back to life and I’ve worked with President Trump to get that moving ahead — that is actually happening.

    But there’s areas where I said, “I’ll work on infrastructure and bringing money back to New York, but if you attack our values, everything we stand for as New Yorkers, then I’ll be in conflict with you. I’ll have to stand up and fight against you.” And, so, it’s a complicated relationship. I will work when it’s to the advantage of New Yorkers and good for them, but I’ll also stand up and say, “No, that’s wrong, and we’re not going to cooperate.” So we’ll see how it unfolds over the next few years.

    Mariela Salgado, Univision 41: Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NEW REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Lab Put Americans at Risk, Jeopardize Progress to Keep Workers Safe on the Job

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Presses Secretary Kennedy on Decimation of NIOSH and Mass Firings at NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory

    ***NEW REPORT with testimonials from Spokane employees HERE***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released a new report on how President Trump and Elon Musk’s decimation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including their effective shuttering of the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory, will jeopardize on-the-job safety for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, in Washington state and across the country. The report details the work that was done at the NIOSH Spokane Research laboratory, the Spokane Mining Research Division in particular, and outlines how the Trump administration’s mass firings across NIOSH will jeopardize the pipeline to train the next generation of workplace safety and health professionals, including those studying at Gonzaga University in Spokane and University of Washington in Seattle. Senator Murray’s report features testimonials from Washington state residents, including employees at NIOSH who were recently fired through no fault of their own.

    The release of the report comes as the Trump administration’s large-scale reduction in force (RIF) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes NIOSH, has been put on hold by a U.S. District Court judge in San Francisco, who ruled that the administration violated separation of powers principles with its agency restructuring.

    “The Trump administration’s unfathomable decision to gut NIOSH and fire nearly every person at the Spokane Research Lab is a devastating and shortsighted move that puts workers everywhere at risk,” Senator Murray said upon releasing the report. “In Spokane alone, President Trump abruptly fired nearly a hundred people working to protect those in high-risk professions including mining, firefighting, health care and emergency medicine, and the maritime industry—bringing their research to a screeching halt and creating a ticking time bomb for disasters in the workplace.”

    “These thoughtless firings don’t just risk Americans’ health and safety in the workplace today, but threaten decades of progress toward preventing workplace hazards,” Senator Murray continued. “Researchers in Spokane who have dedicated their careers to protecting workers across the country are being kicked to the curb because Donald Trump and his conspiracy theorist Health Secretary don’t have a clue what NIOSH does and don’t care to learn—no one should be treated like this. We need answers and accountability. I’m going to keep fighting to hold the Trump administration to account and shine a bright spotlight on how this administration is hurting people and communities like Spokane and forcing critical, lifesaving research to go to waste.”

    Senator Murray has been a leading voice in Congress against RFK Jr.’s destruction of HHS and America’s health infrastructure, raising the alarm over HHS’ unilateral reorganization plan and slamming the closure of the HHS Region 10 office in Seattle and the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. Senator Murray has sent oversight letters and hosted numerous press conferences and events to lay out how the administration’s reckless gutting of HHS is risking Americans health and safety and will set our country back decades, and lifting up the voices of HHS employees who were fired for no reason and through no fault of their own.

    The full report is available HERE and below:

    Report: Mass Firings in Spokane and Beyond: How Gutting the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Harms Workers

    This report is part of a series detailing the harm President Trump and Elon Musk’s reckless and devastating attacks on the federal workforce are causing on the ground in Washington state. The Trump administration’s mass firings and harmful actions have real consequences for Washington’s residents, their communities, and for the entire United States.

    This report focuses on the mass firings of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effectively shuttering the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory. These Reductions in Force (RIFs) will lead to increased health and safety risks for firefighters, miners, agricultural workers, commercial fishermen, and so many others. No one should have to worry about whether they will come home safe from their job or not come home at all – NIOSH is vital to keeping workers safe. 

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is Dedicated to Keeping Workers Safe Across America

    NIOSH is the only government agency statutorily authorized to conduct workplace health and safety research. In April 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated about 900 of NIOSH’s approximately 1,100 employees, effectively shuttering the agency. Among these firings, the Trump administration eliminated 90 scientific positions at the Spokane Research Laboratory. In addition to NIOSH’s Spokane location, the agency also conducts research at campuses in Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Due to recent outcry over these firings, the Trump administration has recently agreed to bring back around 300 NIOSH workers, but primarily in West Virginia and Ohio, leaving the Spokane Research Laboratory’s programming and research work shuttered.

    By firing and then only bringing back a small portion of NIOSH workers, and almost none from Spokane, the Trump administration is jeopardizing decades of progress in improving worker health and safety. Over the course of NIOSH’s history, worker deaths, injuries, and illnesses in America have gone down—on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 15 a day in 2023, and from 10.9 incidents of worker injury and illness per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.4 per 100 in 2023. However, workplace hazards still kill and disable approximately 125,000 workers each year—5,190 from traumatic injuries and an estimated 120,000 from occupational diseases. Workplace injuries and illnesses cost businesses between $174 billion and $348 billion a year, which is still likely an underestimate given underreporting of workplace injuries.

    Kyle Zimmer, recently retired from International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 and current Chair of the Mine Safety Health Research Advisory Committee stated, “Losing these researchers will result in the loss of safety for every worker in the United States. This research turns into standards that become guidelines that every safety professional uses throughout the country in every industry, from health care, to auto body shops, to mining and firefighting. Once your workforce really understands what you are doing, that is when you get results and changes in workplace safety culture.”

    NIOSH’s $362.8 million budget represents only 0.2% of the discretionary portion of the HHS budget. NIOSH’s lifesaving research has also saved more than $1 billion annually. For example, NIOSH research supporting improved protective equipment for firefighters is associated with an estimated $71 million in annual savings in medical and productivity losses.NIOSH work produces a tremendous return on investment, and the Trump administration’s firings have huge costs both for worker safety and the nation.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, pointed out: “The 900 people fired from NIOSH are scientists, mainly. We are industrial safety scientists, epidemiologists, engineers…. The goal is to work with industry to protect workers’ health and safety and find solutions to the problems. We do research and development. It’s not duplicative. [The Occupational Safety and Health Administration] doesn’t do this. They don’t have the capacity or the mandate. All of these cuts are supposedly to save costs. What costs are we going to tolerate? What are the costs of increased workers’ compensation claims? What are the costs of disabling injuries and chronic diseases from workplace exposures? What is the cost to a family of losing a parent to a workplace accident?”

    The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory is Critical to Keeping Workers Safe

    NIOSH was created by Congress to address and prevent work-related injury and illness and was created in the same statute that authorized the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the Department of Labor. While OSHA sets and enforces safety standards, NIOSH is required to conduct or fund research, experiments, and demonstrations on occupational safety and health; produce criteria identifying toxic substances including setting exposure levels that are safe for various periods of employment, and publish annually a list of all known toxic substances and the concentrations at which such toxicity is known to occur; disseminate information about occupational safety to employers and employees; conduct education programs about occupational safety; and contract with state personnel to provide compliance assistance for employers.

    In Washington state, NIOSH conducts research to understand and promote safe job conditions and develop science-based products and interventions that support worker health, safety, and well-being, prevent future occupational injuries and deaths, and train new generations of health and safety professionals. This work is done through the Spokane Research Laboratory (which houses the Spokane Mining Research Division and the Western States Division) and the Region 10 Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research Center.

    Tristan Victoroff, a union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions, explained: “The NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory in Washington State is the only NIOSH facility west of the Mississippi. Its two divisions— the Western States Division and the Spokane Mining Research Division — conduct safety research for natural resource industries across the western U.S. and Alaska, including commercial fishing, wildland firefighting, oil and gas extraction, and mining. They’re working directly with naval shipyards to assess exposures from new technology for corrosion control. They track commercial fishing deaths nationwide. They have major research efforts in high wall safety, rockfall and slope stability, and seismic monitoring using advanced fiber optic technology, to name just a few examples. This work is not duplicative, and it’s not wasteful. If we’re expanding domestic energy, mineral, and seafood production, we need to protect the people doing that work. These workers deserve to come home safe and be healthy enough to work again tomorrow. Cutting this research does not keep us competitive — it puts workers in danger.”

    The Spokane Mining Research Division Keeps Washington Miners Safe on the Job

    The Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) is part of the NIOSH Mining Program, which aims to eliminate mining fatalities and injuries. Since 1990, total injuries in mining have significantly decreased, reflecting safer practices industry-wide, strongly linked to NIOSH’s research and prevention programs. SMRD partners with labor, mining associations, equipment manufacturers, and mine operators to study worker health and safety problems in the field. Washington’s mining industry is vital to the state’s economy, supporting 18,845 jobs, directly and indirectly, and providing $4.07 billion in economic benefits to the state.

    SMRD also conducts laboratory research at the Spokane, WA facility, where highly specialized scientists in unique laboratories develop products and interventions that offer solutions to mining challenges.Scientists in Spokane have been doing innovative laboratory work to:

    • Simulate ground stresses to test rock samples to determine the strength of the environment and whether bolts, steel, mesh or shotcrete are needed to support the mining efforts and keep workers safe on the job.
    • Simulate mining conditions and tasks to study health effects, such as heat and stress;
    • Examine field samples to understand miners’ exposure to respiratory and other health hazards; and more.

    Dr. Art Miller, a research engineer who retired from SMRD after 34 years, explains: “No one else in the world is doing this time-sensitive, cutting-edge research that will make workers safer. We conduct research in a lot of different ways. Our lab is a unique environment of cutting-edge technology and brain power aimed at improving worker health and safety. Discontinuing our work would be a huge loss to the future health and safety of workers. Workplace safety is dynamic, and our work is never going to be done. NIOSH is small relative to the federal government but it’s a well-run entity. Why would we want to get rid of something like that?”

    Spokane Research Laboratory’s SMRD also runs the Miner Health Program, created in 2016 to collaborate with the mining community to improve workers’ physical and mental health.Prevention of opioid misuse is just one of many examples of the collaborative work being produced by the Miner Health Program. The mining industry has been hit particularly hard by drug overdoses. Work-related pain and injury increase workers’ chances of being prescribed an opioid and subsequent risks of worker prescription opioid misuse, long-term opioid use, and opioid use disorder (OUD). These overdoses and especially deaths related to opioid use have had a significant impact on mine workers, their families, and communities. This program is now archived on the CDC website, indicating that this program is no longer operating.

    In Fall 2024, Spokane’s SMRD experts launched a new guide, Implementing Effective Workplace Solutions to Prevent Opioid Use Disorder: A Resource Guide for the Mining Industry. This guide provides a model for planning and implementing prevention efforts to normalize conversations about OUD, reduce stigma, and break down barriers to treatment and recovery. Losing this Miner Health Program focused on preventing OUD will lead to increased overdoses and preventable deaths in the mining community.

    The impact of the Trump administration’s cuts to NIOSH are already being felt in the mining industry. NIOSH is the only federal agency that can test and supply approved and certified respirators and personal dust monitors to keep miners safe on the job. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) at the U.S. Department of Labor announced a temporary enforcement pause of mine operators’ respiratory protection programs. Given that NIOSH’s National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has been effectively eliminated, the “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection,” (“Silica Rule”), is now paused until at least August 2025.Without NIOSH, the Silica Rule cannot go into effect and workers will continue to be exposed to extremely harmful silica dust that results in the debilitating and often fatal condition of silicosis.

    These respirators are not just used in mining; they are used across industries. As explained by Tristan Victoroff, union steward and epidemiologist in the NIOSH Western States Divisions: “There will be no NIOSH-certified respirators, if there’s no NIOSH. NIOSH certifies all the respiratory protection equipment used in healthcare — and not just the N95 masks we’ve all become familiar with in recent years. That includes reusable respirators that filter oils and vapors… even supplied air systems. NIOSH is the only organization in the country equipped to perform all the required testing — more than 150 test procedures — to certify respirators that protect firefighters, miners, shipyard workers — anyone who needs respiratory protection on the job. In fact, any employer in general industry — from construction to manufacturing — if they have an OSHA-approved respiratory protection program, they must use NIOSH-certified equipment. Only NIOSH can certify that equipment to meet those standards. Rebuilding these labs somewhere else would take years, and there’s no guarantee we could replicate the expertise and facilities we currently have at NIOSH. NIOSH also monitors products on the market to spot counterfeits. Without that oversight, fake and substandard products will increasingly flood the market. That’s not theoretical. NIOSH recently found that every counterfeit product it purchased off the open market failed to meet established standards. These products were not fully protective. Workers using those products on the job could be exposed to dangerous particulates or chemicals. If these labs shut down, it will put workers at risk and stifle innovation in protective technology. Workers won’t know which products they can trust. The NIOSH certification is essential.”

    The Western States Division of NIOSH Conducts Critical Research Focusing on Hazards in the Western States

    Workers in the Western U.S. face hazards and issues unique to their industries and environment, including commercial fishing, agriculture, and firefighting. Many of these occupations include climate extremes, working at altitude, long distance commutes, remote locations, and wildland forest fires. NIOSH’s Western States Division (WSD)employs a diverse group of public health and safety scientists with expertise in industrial hygiene, epidemiology, engineering, occupational medicine and health communication, working together to reduce and eliminate workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. WSD is headquartered at the Spokane Research Laboratory, but also has staff at offices in Denver, Colorado, and Anchorage, Alaska. WSD in Spokane focused on health and safety research for several industries, including commercial fishing, firefighting and wildfires, maritime, and emergency medical services.

    Commercial Fishing. NIOSH’s work has decreased the number of fatalities in the commercial fishing industry in Washington, which is recognized as one of the most hazardous work settings. Many operations are characterized by strenuous labor, long work hours, harsh weather, and moving decks with hazardous machinery and equipment. This industry generates nearly $46 billion and more than 170,000 jobs. The annual number of fatalities has declined over the past two decades because of the prevention work carried out by NIOSH.For 30 years, WSD has operated the Commercial Fishing Safety Program, working in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the Gulf Coast in Southeastern states to keep fishermen safe from vessel disasters, falls overboard, onboard hazards, and more. WSD operates maintains the Commercial Fishing Incident Database, which tracks commercial fishing fatalities and provides statistics by region, fishery, type of vessel, and type of incident.This is the only national source for details of commercial fishing fatalities; neither the Bureau of Labor Statistics nor the U.S. Coast Guard report this type of information. Collecting this data is crucial for reducing the number of injuries and fatalities among the nation’s fishermen. Through NIOSH-funded research, WSD has developed solutions to prevent winch entanglements on commercial fishing boats, reducing loss of limb accidents. This critical research has come to a standstill with the Administration putting these scientists on administrative leave and scheduling them to be fired as of June 2, 2025.

    Outdoor Workers and Wildfires. Washington is one of the five states with the highest average annual burned acreage in the U.S., and the state is home to over 8,500 firefighters. Washington’s firefightersput themselves at enormous risk to keep Washington residents safe. Wildfire smoke is also dangerous to outdoor workers like the state’s 8,280 farmworkers whose jobs have been made safer through the work of NIOSH. For example, NIOSH scientists were instrumental in developing Washington’s Wildfire Smoke Rule, put in place January 15, 2024, which protects the health of workers who are exposed to the small particles contained in wildfire smoke. NIOSH recently developed a comprehensive hazard assessment on exposure to wildland fire smoke among outdoor workers. If NIOSH is eliminated, this document might never be finalized, and necessary revisions to the Washington Wildfire Smoke Rule may not happen, threatening firefighters, farmworkers, and other outdoor workers.

    NIOSH Provides Valuable Resources to Employers to Help Them Keep Workers Safe

    NIOSH’s Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program has provided 11 technical assistance evaluations to businesses and industry in Washington over the last 20 years. The HHE program was established with the passage of the 1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act. The HHE program includes evaluations of occupational exposure to illicit drugs in toxicology laboratories, health effects in commercial airline employees associated with new, mandatory uniforms, transmission of tuberculosis to zoo employees working with Asian elephants, and respiratory effects following acute exposure to chlorine gas at a metal recycling facility. These evaluations and publications are at no cost to industry or the public, and recommendations from these reports are used to establish health and safety protocols throughout the state.

    WSD conducts research to evaluate toxic exposures associated with removal and application of marine coatings on vessels at the U.S. Navy’s Trident Retrofit Facility near Bangor, WA, and at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, as part of the Center for Maritime Safety and Health Studies. Moreover, WSD evaluates exposures from rehabilitation of hydroelectric turbines, such as the Little Goose Dam on the Snake River in Southeast Washington.A timely WSD project involves assessing mental and physical health issues in emergency medical service (EMS) responders in Tribal communities in the Puget Sound area. The Trump administration RIFs have effectively shut down each of these programs.

    NIOSH Trains the Next Generation of Occupational and Safety Health Professionals

    Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to require funding for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health. NIOSH funds 18 Education and Research Centers (ERCs), which provide high-quality interdisciplinary graduate and post-graduate training in occupational safety and health disciplines.The Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety Education and Research (NWCOHS) at the University of Washington is an ERC, housed in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, bringing together faculty from the UW Schools of Public Health, Nursing and Medicine. The program, funded continuously since 1977, has an annual budget of $1.8 million and serves four states (Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon), preparing students for careers in occupational medicine, nursing, health services research, industrial hygiene and more. Funding supports an average of 20 graduate students per year, and continuing education for an average of 1,000 occupational health and safety professionals per year.

    As Lawrence Sloan, Chief Executive Officer of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), a membership organization for occupational and environmental health and safety professionals says, “NIOSH’s work is foundational in protecting American workers. Without adequate support for these programs, achieving the goal of a healthier American workforce will be challenging. Specifically, for AIHA, our members will be disadvantaged by the inability to leverage research on various worker populations to advance our understanding of the profession. Additionally, the absence of funding for Education & Research Centers (ERCs) will significantly impact our pipeline of future talent and hinder the funding of academic research studies that benefit the American worker.”

    NIOSH engineers have worked with Gonzaga University’s Mechanical Engineering Department to guide student senior design projects for the past 15 years. Many of these projects were entered into national American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) competitions, with several teams winning awards and presenting at national ASME conventions. This collaboration has led to increased scientists seeking positions supporting mining safety and health, both in Spokane and around the country, creating a pipeline of the next generation of professionals ensuring workplace safety and health.

    NIOSH Protects Firefighters in Washington State and Nationwide

    As a nationally-based program, the NIOSH Center for Firefighter Safety, Health, and Well-Being supports all 50 states to protect firefighters and to identify and prevent new and emerging hazards in the fire service earlier and faster. NIOSH-funded research has:

    1. Increased our understanding of the 200-plus carcinogenic chemicals involved in byproducts of combustion, leading to better respiratory protection standards;
    2. Identified the presence of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as “forever chemicals,” in firefighter foam and turnout gear and how these impact cancer risk levels;
    3. Created and provided for continuous enrollment in the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the largest effort ever undertaken to understand and reduce the risk of cancer among U.S. firefighters; and
    4. Provided for the development of the Firefighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, which conducts independent investigations of firefighter line-of-duty deaths and recommends prevention methods.

    After being shutdown in April 2025, the registration portal of the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer is now operational, following the questioning of HHS Secretary Kennedy by members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee on May 14, 2025.

    Spokane Firefighters Union Local 29 is very worried about the cuts to NIOSH and has called for the continuation of NIOSH-funded research, specifically the study on how high heat affects firefighters’ cognitive abilities, using the highly technical and sophisticated labs in the SMRD. Much of this research is conducted in partnership with Washington State University, where researchers have expertise in the impacts of sleep, fatigue, circadian rhythm, and heat on the ability to be safe at work. These grants to WSU were some of the first to be terminated by HHS.

    Conclusion: The Time is Now to Return NIOSH Spokane Scientists to their Jobs

    NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory scientists were set to be fired on June 2, 2025, but on May 22, 2025, a U.S. District Court judge ordered a preliminary injunction prohibiting the Trump administration from carrying out its RIFs. However, if the RIFs legally continue, President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy will eliminate the NIOSH Spokane office. Without the Congressionally-mandated occupational health and safety research conducted by NIOSH scientists, Washington workers, as well as workers across the country, in commercial fishing, mining, firefighting, manufacturing, and other industries will experience preventable and potentially fatal injuries. Through NIOSH-funded research, Spokane Research Laboratory scientists promote evidence-based safety protocols that are implemented through strong industry collaborations that create productive workplaces that contribute to Washington’s and America’s economic prosperity. President Trump and HHS Secretary Kennedy need to bring back the Spokane Research Laboratory scientists now and fully fund NIOSH research to maintain the promise of healthier and safer workplaces, communities, and families.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Weather Service Partial Rehire Plan Isn’t Good Enough, Says Cantwell

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.02.25

    National Weather Service Partial Rehire Plan Isn’t Good Enough, Says Cantwell

    NWS lost over 560 employees under Trump firings, creating unprecedented forecasting interruptions; today’s approval of 126 new hires represents less than 1/4 of that total; Months before the current crisis, Cantwell called for an exemption and accurately predicted the current situation

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, released this statement following the Trump administration’s announcement of a plan to partially undo the damage done by their indiscriminate firings, resignations, and attrition plaguing the National Weather Service (NWS) workforce.

    “The Trump Administration is trying to put a flimsy band-aid over their massive cut to the National Weather Service,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Hiring back less than a quarter of the people they fired isn’t good enough with hurricane and wildfire seasons bearing down. The administration should immediately end its hiring freeze for the National Weather Service, along with other critical safety roles throughout NOAA, including weather researchers and maritime professionals that weather forecasters and fisheries managers depend on.”

    This dangerous decision to leave critical jobs unfilled comes as the National Interagency Fire Center, a partnership which includes NWS, released its Fire Maps for the next four months predicting above normal significant fire potential across the Northwest, and the National Weather Service predicts an above-normal hurricane season, which began yesterday.

    Just last Thursday, Sen. Cantwell sent a letter demanding that the Trump Administration immediately exempt the NWS from its current federal hiring freeze so that citizens and communities will not be left to fend for themselves without adequate warnings as both hurricane season and wildfire season rapidly approach.

    Today’s action by the administration lifted the hiring freeze on 126 positions across four roles – meteorologists, hydrologists, physical scientists, and electronic technicians. However, many other important roles remain subject to the freeze, including credentialed mariners needed to safety operate NOAA research vessels, weather scientists, and weather satellite technicians. NOAA vessels and satellites are crucial to maintaining forecast and weather infrastructure needed for meteorologists to issue quality and timely forecasts. These firings also impact our economy, with a number of commercial fishing surveys cancelled this year, including for Alaska pollock and salmon. Elimination of surveys will take catch from fishing families, which will result in job loss and increased cost for consumers that want access to high quality American seafood at their local markets and restaurants.

    Multiple recent reports have documented the impacts of the hiring freeze. The Washington Post reports that “Some…forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for any staff willing to transfer to those offices, according to notices recently sent to employees…” And the New York Times found that “The National Weather Service is preparing for the probability that fewer forecast updates will be fine-tuned by specialists, among other cutbacks, because of ‘severe shortages’ of meteorologists and other employees, according to an internal agency document.” These reports make clear that action must be taken immediately to avoid a catastrophic gap in capacity in the face of a future storm or wildfire.

    In February, Sen. Cantwell sent Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick a letter warning of the likelihood of this exact situation.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: First Ministers’ statement on building a strong Canadian economy and advancing major projects

    Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

    “Today, Canada’s First Ministers met in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to build a stronger, more competitive, and more resilient Canadian economy. This marks the first time that a First Ministers’ Meeting has taken place in Saskatchewan in over 40 years.

    “First Ministers expressed their deep concern regarding the wildfire situations across Canada, including in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and pledged to continue to provide assistance and support to impacted provinces, territories, and Indigenous communities.

    “First Ministers discussed the federal government’s plan to remove trade barriers and advance major projects of national interest, including by tabling their One Canadian Economy legislation, so Canada can be stronger at home and abroad.

    “First Ministers agreed to work together to accelerate major projects in support of building a strong, resilient, and united Canada. As a first step, First Ministers discussed projects of national interest which fit the following criteria, subject to consultation with Indigenous Peoples whose rights may be affected:

    • Strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience, and security.
    • Offer undeniable benefits to Canada and support economic growth.
    • Have a high likelihood of successful execution.
    • Are a high priority for Indigenous leaders.
    • Have clean growth potential, such as the use of clean technologies and sustainable practices.

    “First Ministers also agreed to continue the discussion on projects of national interest, working with provincial and territorial governments.

    “This is a first step in implementing a broader set of reforms to overhaul the project assessment process. A significantly improved, streamlined project assessment process is necessary for Canada to grow its economy to become the strongest in the G7 and a global energy superpower.

    “First Ministers are committed to immediately begin to address project approval and permitting efficiency and timelines for all projects. Premiers welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to ensuring all federal assessment decisions are rendered within two years, beginning with projects of national interest. First Ministers also agreed to work toward efficiently and effectively implementing ‘one project, one review’ with the goal of a single assessment for all projects, in a manner that respects federal, provincial, and territorial jurisdiction, enhancing co-ordination activities on permitting and eliminating duplication. This will help kickstart economic growth and ensure that projects get built in a timely manner. First Ministers pledged to fulfil the Crown’s duty to consult with Indigenous Peoples and discussed ways to strengthen Indigenous ownership and partnerships to provide Indigenous communities with generational economic opportunities.

    “Nation-building infrastructure and corridors, such as highways, railways, ports, airports, pipelines, nuclear projects, clean and conventional energy projects, and electricity transmission systems, are crucial for driving Canadian productivity growth, energy security, and economic competitiveness. First Ministers agreed that Canada must work urgently to get Canadian natural resources and commodities to domestic and international markets, such as critical minerals and decarbonized Canadian oil and gas by pipelines, supported by the private sector, that provide access to diversified global markets, including Asia and Europe. First Ministers also agreed to build cleaner and more affordable electricity systems to reduce emissions and increase reliability toward achieving net zero by 2050. In order to generate economic and social benefits, this work must be done by bringing together the right conditions, including Indigenous equity and participation, and deferring to provincial and territorial environmental assessments, where applicable.

    “First Ministers also discussed needed investments in dual-use infrastructure in Northern and Arctic communities that will address Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and security goals, meet local community needs, advance national energy independence, and unlock the North’s economic potential. Indigenous equity and participation will be pivotal to the success of these projects. Premiers acknowledged the federal commitment to move quickly to improve Canada’s defence capabilities and meet international spending targets.

    “Through recent federal, provincial, and territorial efforts and actions led by the Committee on Internal Trade and the Forum of Labour Market Ministers, significant progress has been made toward removing internal trade barriers and further facilitating the movement of goods, services, and workers across the country. Recognizing there is more work to do, First Ministers committed to unlock multilateral, economy-wide mutual recognition and labour mobility, while respecting Québec’s specificity. First Ministers directed the Committee on Internal Trade to rapidly conclude a comprehensive Mutual Recognition Agreement covering consumer goods, in alignment with the Committee on Internal Trade discussions, with implementation by December 2025. In addition, they directed their Ministers of Transport to work together to rapidly expand the trucking pilot. They also agreed to a 30-day service standard for pan-Canadian credential recognition.

    “First Ministers also stressed the importance of creating a new economic and security relationship with the United States to remove the unjustified American tariffs – including longstanding unjustified duties on softwood lumber – and create a more stable and predictable trade environment. They underscored they all have a role to play to achieve this.

    “The federal government committed to working urgently to remove Chinese tariffs on Canadian agriculture and seafood products. First Ministers emphasized the critical importance of regular and ongoing engagement with China at the highest level to improve the overall trade relationship. In the face of ongoing tariffs, they also discussed opportunities to diversify trade and broaden market access for Canadian exporters.

    “First Ministers emphasized the importance of joint efforts to maintain safe and secure communities, including by enhancing the criminal justice system through meaningful and urgent bail and sentencing reforms supporting law enforcement, addressing delays in the criminal justice process, and reviewing risk assessment for sentencing and release of repeat sex offenders and individuals charged with intimate partner violence and gender-based violence crimes. First Ministers recognized the devastating impact the toxic illegal drug supply is having on Canadian communities and committed to dismantling the illicit drug trade, including fentanyl and its precursors. First Ministers directed federal-provincial-territorial Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice and Public Safety to bring forward an action plan to promote safe and vibrant communities for consideration at a future meeting.

    “First Ministers agreed to continue to work collaboratively and address the priorities of all Canadians in every region of the country. To that end, they will meet regularly to drive action on shared priorities vital to Canada’s security and economic resilience.”

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Rural leader on a mission to help farmers minimise waste

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    The focus of the workshops will be about getting farmers to think about their purchasing decisions. Instead of opting for products that could be wasted after a single use, she is encouraging farmers to choose sustainable products with Agrecovery stickers signalling they’re part of a recycling scheme.

    Trish said her biggest hope is that after finishing a workshop, people would leave with the confidence to make one decision a month towards minimising and managing waste.

    “This month it might be Fun Day Friday, where you take a load to the recycling depot and have a fish and chip lunch with your workers. That’s one change, and then next month you might look at doing something with your silage or baleage wrap or composting.”

    Taranaki dairy farmer Trish Rankin is running workshops across Waitaha to help farmers minimise waste

    From monthly skip bins to recycling pro

    In 2017, Trish and Glen were sharemilking in Taranaki when they started noticing they had a skip bin of waste collected every month.

    “I started to think — ‘how do we have this much rubbish on the farm, and it’s all going to landfill, there must be another option’.”

    In 2019, through the Kellogg Leadership Programme, Trish began researching waste minimisation on farms and how a circular economy model could be developed in New Zealand.

    She found growing requirements for manufacturers of on-farm products to be a part of a recovery scheme.

    The missing link was that many farmers still didn’t know what they could recycle and how, because it hadn’t been well communicated, she said.

    “The great thing about the workshops is people can share solutions. It’s not me telling people what to do—someone might have a solution for tractor batteries and someone else might know more about recycling bale wrap. That way we can learn from each other.”  

    Trish said many farmers were unaware they were already paying a product recovery levy.

    “Let’s just say I buy a $1000 drum of alkaline. $75 of that might be a levy to get that collected, but you don’t know you’ve paid that and instead you’re paying more money to get it collected in your skip bin,” she said.

    Farmers are trying to do better

    There were many changes people could make to better our environment and sometimes that could feel overwhelming, which was why Trish suggested focusing on one goal at a time.

    “The ‘should be’ list can be very long in farming. You ‘should be’ doing better for your animals, for your people, for your climate. Sharing knowledge and experiences farmer-to-farmer, and breaking it down, is empowering,” Trish said.

    More information

    View rural waste workshop event details and learn how to safely dispose of chemicals and reduce and recycle plastic and other on-farm waste on our rural waste prevention and management webpage.

    RSVP: To attend the Christchurch CBD event, hosted by us at our Turam St office, register via our

    online form or email us at events@ecan.govt.nz by Monday 16 June.

    Workshops outside of Christchurch are being organised by catchment groups in the region. You can contact them directly for more details:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –