Asia Pacific | Australia closes sheep port after more deathsSYDNEY, Oct 1 (Re...

Asia Pacific

 

Australia closes sheep port after more deaths
SYDNEY, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Australia placed a moratorium on live sheep exports from a southern port on Tuesday after another shipment exceeded acceptable mortality levels.

 

Americas

 

Trade fair ends with Cuba buying $90 million of U.S. goods
Cuba contracted to buy $90 million worth of U.S. products during the Havana Food & Agribusiness Exposition that ended Monday.

 

Castro signs $17 million in U.S. food contracts
Fidel Castro, president of Cuba, signed more than $17 million in contracts to buy food from the United States at a Cuban food fair attended by numerous U.S. food producers -- the only types of American companies allowed to do business with the communist country.

 

Europe and Middle East

EU Delays U.S. Steel Sanctions
European Union foreign ministers decided Monday to hold off on seeking $350 million in steel trade sanctions against the United States, giving Washington more time to resolve the dispute.

USA

 

NEW LOCKOUT HITS WEST COAST PORTS (101 Dailies, Wires 10/1)
Every port on the West Coast was idled today by a bitter, escalating contract feud between shipping companies and dockworkers that could have enormous effects on the national economy.  The shutdown forced nearly 11,000 dockworkers off their jobs for the second time in recent days and paralyzed 29 ports from San Diego to Seattle during their busiest time of the year.  The ports handle about $1 billion in cargo a day, including agricultural products, and are among the largest in the country.

 

SHIPPING DISPUTE SENDS GOODS TO EASTERN PORTS
(102 Washington Times,10/1)
The labor dispute that has shut down West Coast Ports is shaping up as good for business along the East Coast.  Ports in Maryland and Virginia said their business started picking up this summer as contract negotiations between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and terminal operators, became more threatening.

Port Closures Start Taking Toll
Economic losses mount as a lockout of West Coast dockworkers continues, idling ships at 29 ports and prompting calls for federal intervention.

Iowa Quality Beef discusses Tama plant operations
The Iowa Quality Beef Supply Cooperative (IQBSC) recently held its first board meeting to discuss the status of the equity drive to open the Tama beef harvesting facility.

FDA Launches Plan to Reduce Acrylamides in Foods
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday set in motion a plan to identify how the chemical acrylamide is getting into food and what can be done to reduce or eliminate it, since it can cause cancer, neurological damage and infertility.

Meatpacker Beef Big Issue for U.S. Farmers
The top farm issue of the year might be the beef between meatpackers and producers, said Streator farmer/rancher Fred Baker.

Mapping the Bovine Genome
Process will let scientists help cattle and humans