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Must we link trade to social and environmental standards?
29-Apr-2014     Srfood.org
The inclusion of "sustainable development" chapters in bilateral trade agreements has generally met with resistance from the EU's trading partners.
'EU’s ban on Indian mangoes, vegetables could hit free trade talks'
29-Apr-2014    
The European Union’s decision to ban the import of Alphonso mangoes and four vegetables from India could derail EU-India free trade negotiations and weaken New Delhi’s relations with Brussels, according to the Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC).
Implementing Canada-EU free-trade deal could take another two years
29-Apr-2014    
Six months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Brussels to announce Canada’s largest-ever free-trade pact with Europe, Canada and the European Union are still negotiating key aspects of the deal, with implementation possibly as much as two years away.
Nontariff barriers and FTAs
29-Apr-2014    
Frozen orange juice concentrate has been a thorny issue for almost a year. Washington has complained that the Korean Customs Service has been imposing unreasonable “country-of-origin” verification requirements on citrus growers from Florida. These are based on unsubstantiated suspicions that some orange juice concentrates from Florida may in fact originate from Brazil.
FTAs with China, Malaysia damaging poultry industry
28-Apr-2014    
Free Trade Agreements signed with Malaysia as well as China, without taking the real stakeholders onboard, are damaging the local poultry industry, as the imports of processed chicken products under FTA with Malaysia are subject to zero percent import duty and from China at 16% import duty.
Qatar's Al Jazeera files $150 million damages claim with Egypt
28-Apr-2014     Reuters
The Qatar-based satellite network Al Jazeera served Egypt with a $150 million compensation claim on Monday for what it said was damage to its business inflicted by Cairo's military rulers, a step likely to worsen Qatari-Egyptian relations.
Al Jazeera sues Egypt for $150m after crackdown on journalists
28-Apr-2014     FT
Al Jazeera has lodged a $150m claim for compensation against Egypt, turning to an international investor arbitration tribunal in its latest bid to fight a crackdown by the government in Cairo.
NHS could be 'carved open' by US healthcare profiteers, warns Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham
28-Apr-2014     The Independent
The NHS could be "carved open" for profiteering US private healthcare companies by the end of this year Labour has warned, as concerns grow over the implications of a landmark trade treaty between the US and the EU that critics say would give US healthcare giants, "irreversible" powers to bid for any NHS contract.
EFSA says use of peroxyacetic acid would not cause toxicity concerns
28-Apr-2014     Global Meat News
In response to a US request, the European Food Safety Authority has given a thumbs up to peracetic acid washes for chicken carcasses, an area of concern for consumers in the TTIP talks.
Chicken plant workers say chemicals sprayed on carcasses making them sick
28-Apr-2014     WBSTV
The US poultry industry maintains that chemical solutions to prevent food poisoning, a major concern in the EU-EU FTA talk, are safe while the workers are getting sick.