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Japan: A shift in rice production policy
2-Dec-2013 Japan Times
The Japanese government has announced plans to end its policy of limiting rice production and to phase out related subsidies by 2018 in a major shift from the decades-long program aimed at keeping up rice prices but which has been criticized for overprotecting farmers from competition.
Tackling the trade law dimension of ‘land grabbing’
15-Nov-2013 IIED
As trade talks regain momentum, ’land grab’ activists are scrutinising negotiations and pioneering new opportunities for public accountability
Canadian beef makes gains in EU agreement, but US must aim higher
2-Nov-2013 Beef Magazine
Canada won’t realize the benefits negotiated under CETA until it allows imports of beef produced in the EU, which is still banned due to BSE. This is a concession the EU will also press the US to make in the TTIP, says the US beef industry.
US aligns beef rules with global mad cow standards
2-Nov-2013 Reuters
The United States on Friday issued new import rules for cattle and beef that will comply with international standards for the prevention of mad cow disease, saying the step could ultimately boost US beef exports.
Can $150 melons boost Japan’s post-TPP agriculture exports?
16-Oct-2013 The Diplomat
While Japanese farmers fret that the TPP will cut import tariffs and flood the domestic market with cheap foreign produce, Abe sees the potential for an increase in luxury food exports – specifically pertaining to Japan’s world-class fruit, rice and beef.
Australia: Farmers seek bigger slice of FTAs
11-Oct-2013 The Australian
Australian farmers are demanding that Tony Abbott’s proposed free trade deals with China, Japan and South Korea unlock a greater share of Asian markets that are predicted to expand agricultural imports by more than $90 billion in real terms by 2050.
Colombia is latest addition to pantheon of free-trade follies
19-Sep-2013 The Guardian
The failure of free-trade agreements has repeatedly highlighted the need for more humane, intelligent agricultural interventions
USDA trip moves US closer to accepting Chinese chicken
16-Aug-2013 Politico
Despite years of food safety scandals surrounding China and another recent bird flu outbreak there, the US Department of Agriculture is moving closer to opening the US market to Chinese-processed chicken by sending two of its senior food safety officials to Beijing next week for a bilateral meeting on the subject.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A threat to democracy and food sovereignty
8-Aug-2013 Food First
This Backgrounder outlines the agreement’s assault on democracy and food sovereignty and examines the TPP’s likely impacts on food and agriculture in Japan, the latest country to join negotiations.
Globalisation linked to rash of food scares
6-Aug-2013 Al Jazeera
Two cases this August involving food poisoning highlight a growing public concern with food safety, raising concerns about the globalisation of the food supply.
US-EU FTA: the food safety boomerang
1-Jul-2013 JDLE
As the EU has just approved the use of lactic acid to decontaminate beef, it will not be able to oppose the entry of US beef produced this way under the EU-US FTA
Do you want a US food safety standard with that chicken?
31-May-2013 IATP
To export agricultural goods, the US also exports food safety standards. The US Department of Agriculture and the US Trade Representative will soon see if the member governments of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations will accept the way US chicken processors butcher the bird.
Food and capitalism: a crisis of waste and destruction
21-May-2013 PSL
Capitalism and the racing pace of technology at the service of maximizing profits have come together to form a super-crisis of waste and destruction. We can use corn as an example
EUWEP calls for fair trade, not free trade
30-Apr-2013 Farmers Weekly
EU egg producers have lobbied MEPs for fair trade, not free trade, highlighting that the egg industry would be disadvantaged if it isn’t given special protected status in any future trade agreements.
Japan’s rice lobby visits Capitol Hill to fight free trade pact
25-Apr-2013 Washington Post
Rice is a staple food in Japan, but it is also a cultural staple — so much so, say opponents of a 12-nation­ free-trade agreement, that the values learned through rice farming keep the streets of Tokyo safe and the nation stable.
Free trade agreements no farm saviour, analysts warn
18-Apr-2013 ABC
FTAs will result in political agreements which won’t bring substantial tariff reductions on Australian agricultural goods