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agriculture | farmers | food

’New economic chapter’ as Indonesia free-trade agreement begins
6-Jul-2020 Farm Online
Australia’s new free-trade agreement with Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country, officially began on Sunday.
EU-Mercosur deal will have devastating impact on climate, NGOs warn
3-Jul-2020 Euractiv
While the agreement still has to be approved by the European Parliament and Council, farmers and environmental NGOs remain disappointed.
UK-US trade: New body to advise on welfare and competition in farming
30-Jun-2020 BBC
Farmers have welcomed plans for a new body to advise ministers on welfare standards and fair competition in trade deals with the US and other nations.
China delivers further tariff slap to Aussie grains sector
30-Jun-2020 Queensland Country Life
The China - Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has not been enough to protect Australia’s grains industry from China raising import tariffs on barley and sorghum.
Kenya seeks to shield key state firms in US deal
29-Jun-2020 The East African
Kenya is keen on protecting key economic sectors and several strategic state-owned enterprises from the Free Trade Agreement ahead of trade talks with the US slated for July.
Kenya races to safeguard EU market with post-Brexit pact
29-Jun-2020 Business Daily
Kenya has initiated talks with the European Union and the United Kingdom on a post-Brexit trade agreement as the country moves to safeguard its horticultural produce market.
Planting seeds of doubt
29-Jun-2020 Bangkok Post
As sporadic tensions flare over US-China trade, a fierce debate also continues at home, centred on whether Thailand should join a trade pact touted as creating the third-largest free trade area in the world.
New NAFTA takes effect next month. US is already threatening legal challenges
19-Jun-2020 CBC
The new North American trade agreement isn’t even in effect yet and the Trump administration is warning Canada and Mexico they might face legal actions under the pact.
China to step up US agriculture purchases under phase one trade war deal after Hawaii talks, sources say
19-Jun-2020 South China Morning Post
China pledged to buy US$36.5 billion worth of American agriculture products under the phase one deal, up from US$24 billion in 2017, before the trade war.
US-European trade talks stalled over ‘unsafe’ American food
18-Jun-2020 Euractiv
US trade talks with the European Union and Britain have stalled in part due to suspicions of poor American food standards, Washington’s chief negotiator said.
RCEP will undermine fight against COVID19 pandemic
18-Jun-2020 APWLD
The 15 governments must consider the adverse impact of the mega FTA and put an end to trade agreements such as RCEP as they only increase protection and power of multinational corporations.
US trade deal ’could pose greatest risk to UK food since BSE crisis’
15-Jun-2020 Sky News
Consumer group Which? is warning the government not to allow in chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef.
Collectively to reject the RCEP negotiations in the middle of a pandemic
15-Jun-2020 Hukum Online
Amid the pandemic Covid-19 outbreak with the protocol health of all States, the trade negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is still ongoing. The Government should use the momentum of the pandemic to assess thorough draft related agreements RCEP.
Call to action! Stop EFTA countries to undermine farmers’ rights to seed in free trade agreements
11-Jun-2020 Recht auf saatgut
Sign-on the letter for organisations.
Steamed-up Parker slams ’derisory’ leaked EU trade offer
9-Jun-2020 Business Desk
The EU exported the equivalent of just under a kilogram of cheese to New Zealand per New Zealander in 2019 and, under the leaked offer, the EU proposes letting in just over 3 grams of New Zealand cheese per EU citizen
US trade deal could cripple agriculture, manufacturing in Kenya
9-Jun-2020 The East African
The agreement portends the danger of crippling sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing and disintegration of its economy in Kenya.
Cabinet unrest over U-turn on animal welfare in US trade talks
8-Jun-2020 The Guardian
Leaked letter instructs ministers to have ‘no specific policy’ on the issue.
Government ready to open British markets to chlorinated chicken for US trade deal
5-Jun-2020 The Independent
The move would represent a significant loosening of the current situation where complying with high European welfare and sanitary standards for food are a requirement across a wide range of foods.
Perils of the US-India free trade agreement for Indian farmers
5-Jun-2020 GRAIN
US-India deal would greatly compromise India’s huge diversity of local seeds and plants which are conserved and reused by millions of Indian farmers year after year. It will also destroy India’s hope for food sovereignty.
China halts some US farm imports, threatening trade deal
2-Jun-2020 Bloomberg
Chinese government officials told major state-run agricultural companies to pause purchases of some American farm goods including soybeans as Beijing evaluates the ongoing escalation of tensions with the US over Hong Kong.