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agriculture | farmers | food

Food safety on the butcher’s block
18-Apr-2008 FPIP
The United States is using bilateral trade agreements to arm-twist weaker countries into accepting its food safety standards as a tool to expand the market control of US corporations. South Korea is the latest victim.
Eating seed corn not always tasty
14-Apr-2008 TH
US farm and ranch voices avoid singing same tune on US-Colombia trade proposal
FTA with Korea important to keep Aussie beef industry competitive
10-Apr-2008
Meat and Livestock Australia managing director, David Palmer, has accompanied Federal Minister for Agriculture, Tony Burke, in Korea to lend support for the commencement of free trade agreement negotiations between Australia and Korea.
Japan’s free trade agreement tension
4-Apr-2008
Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has warned the Japanese they cannot have a free trade agreement under the conditions being sought by their negotiators.
Trade ministry mulls overseas farm investments in FTAs
20-Mar-2008
Korea is mulling over including agricultural investment in free trade agreements with countries like China and Australia that export agricultural products.
Switzerland to negotiate agriculture free trade agreement with EU
15-Mar-2008 Forbes
The Swiss government on Friday said it will negotiate a free-trade agreement on agricultural products and food with the European Union in a bid to increase competition in the sector.
Korea-US FTA would put pressure on Aussie beef
15-Mar-2008
The expected quick resolution of the dispute now holding up a free trade deal between South Korea and the US will put Australian beef sales to our third largest export market under pressure.
Agriculture officials have beef with Mexico-Canada trade agreement
11-Mar-2008 Brownsville Herald
Mexico and the US Department of Agriculture are negotiating a trade agreement that would presumably pave the way for the export of US breeding stock. The announcement comes on the heels of a trade agreement last week that includes breeding stock between Mexico and Canada.
Goff: Speech to New Zealand Meat Board AGM
11-Mar-2008 Scoop
NZ Trade Minister Goff outlines New Zealand’s FTA roadmap for the meat & wool industry in key markets.
Pawar urges SAARC countries to strengthen SAFTA
5-Mar-2008
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday urged the SAARC countries to strengthen the regional trade and pointed out that the region does not correspond to the so-called natural trading partner hypothesis and "SAFTA’s economic relevance is being questioned".
Thai-Chinese FTA leaves a bad taste with garlic growers
3-Mar-2008 Earth Times
A partial free trade agreement (FTA) between Thailand and China has led to a decline in Thailand’s garlic output by 22 per cent in three years, a study revealed Sunday.
Japan stance threatens free trade
29-Feb-2008 The Australian
The Japanese Government has refused to offer Australia any serious concessions on agricultural import tariffs, the major barrier to a free trade agreement between the two countries.
USTR says beef can change timing of FTA approval
28-Feb-2008
The United States does not intend to change the order of ratifying the three remaining free trade agreements (FTA), but South Korea’s resolution of the beef issue would definitely change the timing of congressional approval of its FTA, the top trade negotiator said Wednesday.
“Free Trade”: Is it working for farmers? Comparing 2007 to 1988
27-Feb-2008 NFU
For farmers, so-called “Free Trade” agreements do two things simultaneously: By removing tariffs, quotas, and duties, these agreements erase the economic borders between nations and force the world’s one billion farmers into a single, hyper-competitive market. At the same time, these agreements facilitate waves of agribusiness mergers that nearly eliminate competition for these corporations.
Peru: Four dead after government crackdown on protests against US trade deal
27-Feb-2008 Upside Down World
A two-day national agrarian strike against a pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States ended on Wednesday February 20th, leaving four farmers dead after President Alan Garcia declared a state of emergency and ordered a violent crackdown.
Japan eyes exemptions in Aust FTA talks
26-Feb-2008
Australia is expected to oppose the exemption of five items from the envisaged FTA with Japan: wheat, rice, beef, dairy and sugar.
Regional banana exporters uneasy as Latin America pressures EU
23-Feb-2008
The Caribbean Banana Exporters’ Association (CBEA) is expressing grave concern that the European Union (EU) might bow to pressure from Latin American banana producing countries and reduce its 176 euros per tonne tariff for bananas from that region.
"Via Campesina, from anti-WTO to anti-FTA"
21-Feb-2008 VOP
Interview with Jun Gi-Hoan, General Secretary of Korean Peasants League
Striking farmers shut access to Peru’s Machu Picchu
19-Feb-2008 Reuters
Peruvian farmers upset over a free trade deal with the United States blocked rail service to the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu on Monday and paralyzed vast swaths of the Andean country by halting traffic on key highways.
US-Korea Understanding on Agricultural Biotechnology (2007)
18-Feb-2008 Korean Advanced Farmers Federation
Negotiated on the sidelines of the US-Korea FTA, in March 2007.