Ag negotiator sees “a lot of momentum” for TPP
The chief U.S. agricultural trade negotiator said there was "a lot of momentum" toward a Trans-Pacific Partnership pact after months of delays. The chief negotiators from the 12 TPP nations are in Washington this week, said Darci Vetter, of the U.S. Trade Representative's office. "We hope and think we will be closing this agreement soon." Vetter told the Farm Journal Forum that only the most sensitive products were left on the table, items that may need ministerial action.
“We’re stuck” on revising meat-origin labels, says Vilsack
Congress will have to resolve the international snarl over U.S requirements for labels on beef, pork and chicken meat that identify where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. U.S. law requires the so-called country of origin labels (COOL) but the World Trade Organization has ruled three times that U.S. regulations discriminate against Canada and Mexico.