agriculture | farmers | food

plus livestock, forestry, etc

France celebrates "European Day of Alternatives" and protest against TTIP decrying EC corruption
About 1,500 protesters gathered in Paris, Saturday, to celebrate the European Day of Alternatives and Resistance and protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
Is US ’chlorinated chicken’ and ‘GM food’ heading to EU?
French political parties attack the threats to food safety from the proposed EU-US trade agreement.
Mexico is waging war against American apples
Mexico's apple industry is the latest victim of NAFTA -- and trying to fight back.
Center for Food Safety report warns TTIP could undermine critical food safety and environmental regulations
The US-based Center for Food Safety today released a report examining the potential food and farming impacts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a week before EU trade negotiators arrive in Arlington, Virginia, for the fifth round of TTIP talks.
Free trade agreement with the US threatening fruit and vegetable diversity
The seed industry is planning to take advantage of the free trade agreement between the US and the EU (TTIP) to implement its patents in the European market.
Colombian farmers reach deal to end 11-day strike
Colombian farmers agreed on Friday to halt an 11-day strike that had threatened to damage President Juan Manuel Santos's re-election campaign with just over two weeks left before the election.
'EU’s ban on Indian mangoes, vegetables could hit free trade talks'
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).
Nontariff barriers and FTAs
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
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.
Chicken plant workers say chemicals sprayed on carcasses making them sick
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.