Trade
One defendant freed in seed-corn theft case
U.S. Judge Stephanie Rose dismissed charges against a Chinese woman, Mo Yun, accused of conspiring to steal trade secrets from U.S. seed companies, said the Associated Press.
At TPP, Canada discusses allowing more dairy imports
At the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks in Hawaii, "Canada has begun discussions with the United States on allowing more foreign dairy products into the Canadian market – among the thorniest issues for Ottawa" in the negotiations, says the Toronto Globe and Mail.
House leaders set Friday showdown on fast track for trade
Republican leaders in the House "are setting up a showdown vote Friday on the fast-track trade bill that the Obama administration says will clear the way for wrapping up negotiations on a Pacific Rim agreement," says Agri-Pulse.
Canadian ag groups stand by supply management
Farm groups in Canada suspect they will face unfair competition from U.S. dairy and poultry producers if the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement opens the border to U.S. imports, says Commodity News Service, based in Winnipeg.
U.S. and Japan agree on agricultural market openings
House passes CFTC reauthorization despite veto threat
On a party-line rollcall of 246-171, the House voted to send the Senate a bill to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It would create new safeguards for customers' money and ease regulation of so-called end users.The customer safeguards are a reaction to the collapse of two large trading houses and are intended to preserve customers' accounts during financial upheavals.
U.S.-Canada tensions rise over agricultural trade
The United States is frustrated with Canada "because it believes Ottawa promised greater foreign access to its dairy and poultry markets as a condition of joining" the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, "and yet has offered nothing," reports the Toronto Globe and Mail.
Mammoth dairy in China to supply Russia
Chinese and Russian investors are collaborating to build a 100,000-cow dairy - the largest in the world - in northeast China to supply milk and cheese to the Russian market, says Farmers Weekly, based in England.
Embassy pact fuels hope for end of U.S. embargo on Cuba
A U.S. agricultural coalition said it hoped for an end to the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba now that the nations agreed to re-open embassies in each other's capital.
Nearly 300 groups say no to COOL repeal
Ahead of the House vote on repeal of mandatory country-of-origin labels (COOL) on beef, pork and chicken sold in grocery stores, 283 labor, small-farm, environmental and religious groups published a joint letter asking lawmakers to keep the labeling law in force. "Consumers want more information about their food, not less," said the Consumer Federation of America. R-CALF USA, a cattle-ranchers group, said repeal would "reward the powerful meatpacker lobby" and be a capitulation to threats by Canada and Mexico of retaliatory tariffs.
U.S. ban of raw Brazil beef imports in spotlight as Rousseff visits
Few major achievements are expected during a fence-mending visit by Brazil president Dilma Rousseff to the United States this week, including a bilateral meeting with President Obama on Tuesday, says McClatchy.
“Repeal of mandatory COOL is the surest way,” says Roberts
Warning of retaliatory tariffs of more than $3 billion, Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts said, "Repeal of mandatory COOL is the surest way to protect the U.S. economy." Farm and industry groups generally joined the call for repeal during an Agriculture Committee hearing on the impact of a WTO ruling that U.S. country-of-origin labels (COOL) on packages of beef and pork violate world trade rules by discouraging imports from Canada and Mexico.
Russia extends ban on Western food to January
In a tit-for-tat move, Russia extended for six months - until January - its ban on imports of food from Europe and the United States, says Channel NewsAsia.
Trade groups push for repeal of U.S. meat-origin labels
Two major trade groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers, told lawmakers that repeal is the only option available in a losing battle over the so-called country of origin labeling (COOL) law. The World Trade Organization has ruled three times against COOL, which requires labels on packages of beef, chicken and pork saying where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered.
TPP talks slow as U.S. wrangles over fast-track voting
Canada and Japan will not wrap up negotiations for the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership unless the United States can guarantee that Congress will not try to re-write the deal, says Reuters.
U.S. challenges Indonesia at WTO over food-import barriers
The United States and New Zealand asked the World Trade Organization to rule that Indonesia unfairly restricts imports of fruits, vegetables and animal products, based on regulations imposed in 2012.
Japan lowers its target for food self-sufficiency
Japan, the largest Asian importer of corn, beef and pork, has lowered its target for food self-sufficiency to 45 percent by 2026 from the current 50 percent, said Bloomberg.
What can Cuba sell U.S.? Tobacco, seafood, produce
The U.S. farm sector usually discusses Cuba in terms of possible growth in sales to a nearby market, although trade is limited by the trade embargo enacted during the Cold War.