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agriculture | farmers | food

RP pushes local dairy industry dev’t in ASEAN-ANZ FTA talks
17-Aug-2008 Manila Bulletin
The Philippines is pushing the development of local dairy industry as its counter-offer to the 100 percent tariff cut on the same products asked by Australia and New Zealand under the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade agreement.
US family farmers applaud demise of Doha negotiations
15-Aug-2008 Common Dreams
"Farmers don’t export. Archer Daniels Midland and Cargill do. The corporate commodity groups are continuing to push for bilateral FTAs with South Korea, Colombia and pushed for the recent Peru FTA. Meanwhile they also scheme to keep in place a broken US subsidy system that allows US farmers to be paid below cost of production and agribusiness to dump cheap commodities into overseas markets, displacing farmers from Mexico to Indonesia to Ghana to Haiti, with no benefit to US farmers."
Jpepa will worsen food crisis - group
12-Aug-2008 GMA News
The food crisis hounding the Philippines today may escalate if the government embarks on a full-scale liberalization of the economy under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa), according to food security advocates.
Kamal Nath calls for greater Indian access to Japanese agriculture market
5-Aug-2008 PIB
Shri Kamal Nath, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry has expressed hope that the India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) could be concluded during the next round of talks which are scheduled to be held in New Delhi in September 2008.
Brussels and Israel. EU agreement reached to liberalise trade in Agricultural and Fishery Products
5-Aug-2008 BYM
Negotiators have reached a preliminary agreement to further liberalise trade in agricultural and processed agricultural products and fish and fishery products between the European Union and the State of Israel
What land reform? farmers group asks
1-Aug-2008 Mindanao Examiner
Some 200,000 hectares of lands in southern Mindanao alone have been converted into banana and pineapple plantations by Del Monte and Dole corporations while millions of hectares are also threatened with the looming ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Thailand urged to be a standards leader
29-Jul-2008 TMCnet
Thailand is being urged to upgrade itself as the leader in determining safety standards and relevant laws on food and agricultural products in order to surmount business challenges arising from free trade area agreements.
WTO decision in next 3 days may worsen FTAs’ effects on developing country farmers
28-Jul-2008 TWN
The special safeguard mechanism currently being proposed for agriculture at the WTO mini-ministerial requires large increases in imports before it can be used, does not allow tariffs to be raised sufficiently and cannot be used to protect developing country farmers from import surges due to free trade agreements.
La Via Campesina supports KPL, KWPA and the Korean people’s struggle
28-Jul-2008 Via Campesina
La Via Campesina supports the peaceful fight of the Korean Peasant League, Korean Women Peasants Association and the movements of the Korean people for their right to have access to safe food and to produce locally. FTAs undermine the freedom of choice and the access to safe food, which are basic elements of food sovereignty.
Japan tries to exclude agriculture in free trade talks
25-Jul-2008 FarmOnline
Japan has moved to exclude key agricultural products from the next round of free-trade negotiations with Australia, due to be held in Tokyo next week.
Costa Rica targets trends for greater food exports
22-Jul-2008 foodnavigator.com
Costa Rican food companies are focusing on major trends like organics and social values to build their export platform, as an association agreement between the EU and Central America is expected to be reached in 2009.
Botswana, UK want fruits of EPAs
15-Jul-2008 Mmegi Mobile
While government officials promise the EPAs will bring more jobs and beef market openings for Botswana, Botswana unions believe they are nothing but recolonisation of ACP countries and say ’the EU is coming back to deplete our (African) resources’.
Peru farmers block roads, Machu Picchu rail
9-Jul-2008 Reuters
Peruvian farmers angry at President Alan Garcia’s free-trade policies began a two-day strike on Tuesday, snarling traffic in the country’s interior and closing rail service to the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu.
USDA signs agreement with Philippines on agricultural cooperation
26-Jun-2008 USDA FAS
The agreement standardizes food safety regulations, rural development, biotechnology, and product distribution and marketing.
Final declaration of International Conference on Peasants’ Rights
26-Jun-2008 Via Campesina
We face patterns of violations of our rights, by the crimes committed by TNCs and by Free-Trade Agreements (FTAs). In order to address these patterns of violations, we need specific provisions and mechanisms to fully protect our rights.
Devastating floods - man made
26-Jun-2008 Germanwatch
This brochure by Germanwatch and FIAN describes the negative impacts of european exports of poultry and tomato puree on the right to food of Ghanaian smallholder farmers and refers to the further threats by the new economic partnership agreement.
FAO urges integration to boost prices in market
17-Jun-2008 Business Daily
To thwart a deepening food crisis on the continent, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is proposing the creation of a Free Trade Area (FTA) for Africa that will facilitate a seamless flow of strategic commodities across national borders while maintaining high profit margins.
Saudis plan to grow crops overseas
13-Jun-2008 FT
Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans to develop large-scale overseas agricultural projects to secure food supplies, revealing that Riyadh is in discussions with Ukraine, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey and Egypt.
Korean protests ’bad’ for Aussie beef
12-Jun-2008 The Age
Mass protests in South Korea against US beef are bad news for Australian exporters, costing millions of US dollars in lost sales and jeopardising a crucial free trade deal, the Cattle Council says.
US targets full opening of Asian beef market
7-Jun-2008 Korea Times
The Bush administration, whose major political funding sources allegedly involve ranchers, is likely to urge China and Japan to "fully" open their beef markets, citing the negotiation results with South Korea.