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agriculture | farmers | food

Mexico is waging war against American apples
15-May-2014 PRI
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
14-May-2014 CFS
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
13-May-2014 DWN
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
10-May-2014 Reuters
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’
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).
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.
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.
Vietnam farmers, SMEs threatened by upcoming free trade deals: trade expert
21-Apr-2014 Thanh Nien News
Tran Huu Huynh of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry said given the outcome of FTAs already signed, some groups like farmers would suffer more from harsh competition right at home.
Rules for foreign investment in farmland ’won’t change’ despite free trade talks with China: Robb
14-Apr-2014 ABC
Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb has assured his Coalition colleagues there will be no changes to foreign investment rules on farmland as part of a trade deal with China.
We’ll block FTA plans, say Greens and Xenophon
12-Apr-2014
The Greens and independent senator Nick Xenophon have said the government will face a tough battle if it seeks to ease foreign investment restrictions.
Colombia’s Breadbasket Feels the Pinch of Free Trade
8-Apr-2014
Things are getting worse and worse,” Enrique Muñoz, a 67-year-old farmer from the municipality of Cajamarca in the central Colombian department of Tolima, once known as the country’s breadbasket, said sadly.
Rice growers slam Japan FTA
8-Apr-2014
Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia President Les Gordon has slammed Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s landmark free trade agreement with Japan as a deal that punishes and ignores ricegrowers.
Few free trade favours from Fortress Japan
8-Apr-2014
Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Trade Minister Andrew Robb have hailed the freshly inked free trade agreement with Japan as “historic”. Yes, it is historic in a sense that it is a repeat of the much criticised 2004 free trade agreement with the United States that provide very limited commercial benefits to Australian farmers.
International Day of farmers’ struggles in defense of peasants’ and farmers’ seeds
2-Apr-2014 La Via Campesina
This day of action is particularly important since on the 11th of March the European Parliament rejected the European Commissions’ regulation proposal for the marketing of seeds. This vote has taken place in the context of a Europe dominated by trade negotiations with the USA, known as TAFTA, and the European Parliament election campaign until May 2014.
The secret deal that threatens the food on your plate
28-Mar-2014 FOEE
Untangling the EU-US trade talks : What are the big concerns for food & farming? What might be the consequences for our food and farming? Friends of the Earth Europe and Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy hosted a discussion in Brussels on 13 March 2014.
Japan FTA dairy concerns
28-Mar-2014 Farmonline
The push by the Australian Government to have a hand-shake deal done by the Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, when he visited Japan in April could see dairy miss out, Australian Dairy Farmers president Noel Campbell said.
Colombia: Farmers protest alleged violation of agriculture agreement
19-Mar-2014 PanAmPost
On Monday, representatives of indigenous communities, Afro-Colombians, and campesinos held demonstrations in Plaza Bolívar, Bogotá, to demand a new agriculture policy seeking solutions to the problem of land access and greater protection from free trade agreements.
CropLife America and the European Crop Protection Association discuss joint proposal during TTIP negotiations
17-Mar-2014 ECPA
CropLife America (CLA) and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) called for a more harmonized risk assessment framework for pesticide regulations during the fourth round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
US Senators shocked by EU’s cheese-name claims
13-Mar-2014 EurActiv
In a rare act of bipartisan unity, dozens of US senators have wheeled into action against what they call an "absurd" European initiative that would force name changes to common cheese varieties produced in the United States.