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agriculture | farmers | food

TPP could expedite farm reforms
16-Nov-2010 Japan Times
Japan’s agriculture industry is in the spotlight as a result of the government’s interest in a US-backed trans-Pacific free-trade agreement that could scrap high tariffs on heavily protected products such as rice.
EU-Morocco agriculture agreement (2009)
16-Nov-2010 PE
Japan’s farmers oppose Pacific free-trade talks
12-Nov-2010 NYT
Atsushi Kono considers it the gravest threat to his family’s farm in a century of rice-growing: a free-trade initiative that could dismantle Japan’s sky-high protective farming tariffs, finally opening up the country to cheap, foreign produce.
Japan farmers protest free trade as APEC meets
10-Nov-2010 Reuters
Thousands of Japanese farmers rallied on Wednesday to demand their government steer clear of a US-led free trade initiative which would open the heavily protected agricultural sector to fierce competition.
Thousands in Japan protest new free trade agreement
10-Nov-2010 CNN
An estimated 3,000 Japanese farmers converged in Tokyo on Wednesday to protest against Japan joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which would destroy Japanese agriculture and community
Farmers fear economic fallout from Pacific FTA
10-Nov-2010 Kyodo
Japanese farmers voiced concerns Tuesday about the day’s decision by the Cabinet to begin consultations with the United States and other countries to forge a trans-Pacific free-trade agreement, saying further liberalization of trade would deal them a heavy blow.
Arrêt des négociations sur un accord de libre-échange agricole - maintenant et définitivement
9-Nov-2010 ASSAF
Le Parlement fédéral aura la possibilité de prendre une décision de planification, soumise au référendum, sur l’arrêt des négociations entre la Suisse et l’UE
Tokyo warned of risks from Pacific trade pact
2-Nov-2010 Financial Times
Takashi Shinohara, senior vice minister for agriculture, strongly denies Japanese media reports that Tokyo has already decided to launch talks with the US and others on entry to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Farm leader opposed to Japan participating in trans-pacific FTA
29-Oct-2010 Mainichi
Mamoru Moteki, president of the Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives, told a press conference that government subsidies to farming families alone cannot prompt farmers to accept Japan’s participation in the FTA.
Wisconsin cheese makers concerned with trade deal
17-Oct-2010 WPR
Wisconsin cheese makers are reacting to a free trade agreement between the European Union and South Korea which may require them to re-name their cheeses.
NFU warns new trade agreement with EU could crush Canadian farmers
15-Oct-2010 NFU
National Farmers Union President, Terry Boehm, warns this agreement will further intensify Canada’s farm income crisis. "The CETA would mean many changes, but none more negative than its effect to extinguish farmers’ rights to save and re-use seeds," states Boehm.
South Korean farmers protest against free trade with China
30-Sep-2010 NTDTV
Chanting slogans, shaving their heads and painting banners using their own blood, more than 10,000 farmers gathered in downtown Seoul for the biggest rally by the farmers this year.
Draft decision on EU-Morocco bilateral trade agreement for food and fisheries products adopted
17-Sep-2010 European Commission
"The agreement will reinforce the position of European ag exporters on the Moroccan market, representing a major offensive interest for the EU," says the European Commission
Indian farmers against Indo-Japan EPA
17-Sep-2010 Economic Times
A common platform of several farmers groups, the Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements, has charged the Central government with complete lack of transparency on the implications of the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement or CEPA with Japan and the inclusion of agriculture on its agenda.
Pressure over farmers could stall trade deals: official
13-Sep-2010
Political pressure to protect farmers will stall Taiwan’s dreams of signing free trade agreements (FTA) with Southeast Asia, setting back a piece of the island’s growth strategy, a senior official said.
Canada, Costa Rica to modernize F.T.A.
30-Aug-2010
Canada and Costa Rica have agreed to work toward modernizing the existing bilateral free-trade agreement, announced Peter Van Loan, Canada’s minister of international trade, who just concluded his five-day, four-country visit to Latin America.
Korea denies new concessions on U.S. FTA
25-Aug-2010
Korea yesterday denied a U.S. media report that it planned to make new “concessions” to secure the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement from the U.S. Congress.
Third farm bill hearing focuses on trade policy
13-Aug-2010
The agriculture community heard directly from U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk recently on trade priorities that have stalled despite their importance to the industry’s market share around the world.
Indonesia says restriction on beef imports will protect domestic industry
12-Aug-2010 Live Trading News
Indonesia’s restriction on beef imports from New Zealand is aimed at protecting local breeders, a spokesman of the Trade Ministry said, as the dispute goes to the upcoming ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA forum.
US Trade Delegation Makes SOS Trip to Columbia
11-Aug-2010
More than 100 industrialists from the US are touring Columbia to identify potential areas of trade, and maximize their business prospects under the new regime before it is too late as the new president of Columbia is equi-distant in ideology with all schools of thoughts in the Americas.