ISDS Case Map
agriculture | farmers | food
plus livestock, forestry, etc
Washington hopes to hold high-level talks -- above the ministerial level -- on freeing up the agricultural markets in Korea and the US before holding the sixth round of free trade agreement negotiations.
Australian farmers have pleaded with the federal government not to forget them when it meets with Japan for negotiations on a free trade agreement next year.
Despite growing concern in Japan over the impact a free trade agreement could have on local farmers, Prime Minister John Howard and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe have agreed to begin formal negotiations in the new year. Mr Howard says agriculture will be included.
Flower exporters have asked the Kenyan government to ensure that it signs an agreement with the European Union (EU) before the General Elections next year.
In an effort to create more informed actions among groups working on food sovereignty and fairer trade rules in the region, the Asia Pacific Network for Food Sovereignty launched a research on US FTAs that looked at the common features of existing US FTAs and those that are being negotiated in the region like the US-Thailand FTA and analyzed their implications on developing countries' agriculture particularly on small-scale farmers' livelihoods; food security; farmers' access to and control of their land, seed and productive resources; and rural development.
The influential US senator Max Baucus, nicknamed “Mr. Beef”, on Sunday said Korea should completely lift its ban on US beef imports if it wants a free trade agreement with the US.
The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Asian Peasant Coalition lambasted the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. for causing the pesticide poisoning of at least 79 people in Davao del Norte, Philippines, stressing that "such poisonings would increase and expand when the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) is ratified.”
Australia's proposed Free Trade Agreement with Japan is facing stiff opposition from Japanese farmers. The deal, if finalised, would be Australia's largest bilateral trade agreement, and could open the traditionally closed Japanese market to Australian agricultural products. But Japanese farmers say the deal puts their futures at risk.
The Korean government repression that began on November 22nd is continuing to spread like a forest fire. However, the people's struggle to block the KorUS FTA will not end here.
Filipinos will just be getting crumbs for all the trouble and hardship that this agreement would entail. We urge the rural people to oppose JPEPA, launch campaign, education and action against the one-sided agreement. We call on our fellow farmers in Asia, especially in Japan, to help us campaign against this pact.
