Asia Pacific | Prolonged U.S. port dispute seen damaging to Asia | SINGAPORE,...

Asia Pacific

 

Prolonged U.S. port dispute seen damaging to Asia

SINGAPORE, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Export-dependent Asia can weather a short-term lockout at U.S. west coast ports, but analysts said an extended dispute could threaten the region's economy if it undermined consumer demand in the United States.

 

China wants guarantee Australian cattle are safe
SYDNEY, Oct 4 (Reuters) - China is refusing to accept live cattle from Australia until it is given guarantees the animals are free of the pneumonia-causing "red nose" disease, Australia's quarantine agency said on Friday.

 

South Korea Opens up to French Pork
France given the all clear over foot and mouth disease to restart exports of pork.

 

Export Cattle For China Put On Hold
Meanwhile a Chinese ban on imports of Australian cattle has put livestock agents and dairy cattle producers

 

Europe

 

USDA: Uruguay could boost beef exports with foot-and-mouth contained
Stable domestic consumption and the reopening of some key markets following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Uruguay last year are expected to boost that country's beef exports by 10,000 metric tons, versus 2002, according to a special report issued by USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service.

 

USA

 

Talks to End U.S. Ports Impasse Move Into 2nd Day
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Negotiators readied for a second day of talks aimed at ending a lockout of West Coast ports Friday as union longshoremen and port managers struggle to resolve a dispute costing the U.S. economy about $1 billion per day. Officials from the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents 29 ports from San Diego to Seattle, and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union held 12 hours of talks Thursday but adjourned without agreement. Longshoremen Strike Puts Export Gains in Jeopardy
The West Coast longshoremen strike, which has closed  29 ports from Seattle to San Diego, could have serious implications for the U.S. cattle and meat industries and other export-dependent agricultural commodities. More than 50% of all beef exports sold to Asia depart through West Coast ports.

Ranchers explore 'natural' beef
Many Americans are becoming more health conscious and selective about what they eat, including beef. That has created a market for specialty beef which can result in better cattle prices for ranchers.

Panel in Fight Over Tribal Rights
A battle over tribal treaty rights and livestock grazing moved into the international arena Thursday when a human rights commission asked the U.S. government to cancel an auction of cattle seized from two Western Shoshone sisters.

Cargill Expands Beef Recall, Shuts Plant Amid E. Coli Fears
Cargill Inc., joining the list of meatpackers battered by food-safety mistakes, sharply expanded its recall of ground beef potentially tainted with E. coli bacteria to 2.8 million pounds, Friday's Wall Street Journal reported.

 

Washington Farmers Fear Dock Lockout Will Push Foreign Buyers to New Producers
Washington's farmers and food processors, separated by a mountain range from labor strife at the state's ports, are concerned that closed docks may mean lost cash.

 

U.S. opens market to Mexican beef, indigenous fruits -
The United States has agreed to open its market to Mexican beef, prickly pears and rambutan, a fruit indigenous to the southern state of Chiapas, the Agriculture Secretariat reported Thursday.