Asia Pacific | Japanese Consumption of Beef DownJapanese beef consumption rec...

Asia Pacific

 

Japanese Consumption of Beef Down
Japanese beef consumption recovery is slow following the BSE crisis.

 

Japan's beef tariffs bid angers Australia
Australia's acting prime minister John Anderson has attacked a bid by Japan to impose higher tariffs on Australian beef imports.

 

JAPAN: Cattle fed plums to produce leaner beef 
Famous in Japan as a hangover cure, Ume – Japanese plums – are now being fed to prime cattle to produce what is claimed to be a less fatty beef.

 

Africa

 

Africa cheers Bush trade act extension plan

African countries on Thursday cheered a plan by U.S. President George W. Bush to help extend trade concessions for the continent saying it would provide the predictability necessary to attract foreign investment.

 

Americas

 

Mexico Places Embargo on All US Raw Poultry
In what could be charitably termed an "over-reaction," Mexico's Secretariat of Agriculture (SAGARPA) has banned imports of raw poultry from the entire United States, citing the six-county outbreak of Newcastle disease in Southern California (see Feds declare state of emergency in Southern California, expand Newcastle disease quarantine zone, Daily News, Jan. 10, 2003).

 

Europe

 

Study- EU Farm Reform Would Have Positive Impact on Farm Incomes
The European Commission today published two internal and four external impact studies which support the overall orientation of its proposals from July 2002 to review the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

 

U.S. keeps hinting at WTO complaint vs EU biotech
WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - The Bush administration continued to drop hints it would file a World Trade Organization complaint against the EU's biotech policy, as the chief U.S. agriculture trade negotiator said the time had come for action.

EU reaffirms opposition to synthetic hormones in beef
Based on research showing six growth hormones used by U.S. producers could cause cancer, the agriculture ministers in the European Union voted to legalize their ban on U.S. beef produced with hormone implants. Armed with this "justification," the EU will once again petition the WTO to force the U.S. to lift sanctions on EU farm goods imposed three years ago to retaliate against the beef ban. If the WTO rules in favor of the EU, the U.S. may have to remove the $116 million sanctions.

 

USA

 

Sen. Cantwell confirmed as speaker at U.S.-Cuba business conference
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will lead a delegation of food and agribusiness executives from the state of Washington and will speak to attendees at the U.S.-Cuba Business Conference, to be held in Cancun and Havana, Cuba, Feb. 17 to 19, according to a news release.

 

UPDATE 1-Senate Republicans back $3 billion U.S. farm aid

Senate Republicans proposed $3 billion in disaster relief to farmers and ranchers for drought, freeze, hail and hurricane damage on Wednesday, half the amount farm groups want for losses in the past two years.

 

Swift beefs-up safety at Greeley plant
Since its massive beef recall last year because of E coli O157:H7 (see ConAgra expands recall of ground beef to 19 million pounds, Daily News, July 22, 2002) Swift & Co. has spent $4.2 million in food safety improvements at the former ConAgra meat processing plant in Greeley, Colo

 

Cloned pigs as organ donors? Maybe
A University of Missouri scientist has announced a breakthrough in producing cloned pigs that may, some day, become organ donors for humans.