Asia Pacific | Russian "nyet" to U.S. beef, pork meant no WTO deal ...

Asia Pacific

Russian "nyet" to U.S. beef, pork meant no WTO deal
A dispute over access for U.S. meat to the Russian market helped frustrate U.S.-Russian talks on a deal for Russia to join the World Trade Organization, America's top trade negotiator said on Saturday.

Korea trade talks end early
Talks in Seoul between South Korea and the United States to establish a free-trade agreement ended early on Thursday when the two sides reached an impasse over several issues, mainly in the area of pharmaceuticals.

Japan finds banned U.S. beef in ham, turkey shipment
Japan rejected a box of U.S. roast beef that was mistakenly included in a shipment of pork and turkey, a "minor incident" that should not interfere with resumption of beef exports to Tokyo, the U.S. Agriculture Department said.

USA

Creekstone asks for summary judgment in BSE testing case
Creekstone Farms, which is suing USDA to be allowed to test all of its cattle for presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, filed for summary judgment in Washington, D.C. Friday, and the company suggested that such universal testing might both eliminate the need for and expense of age verification for export animals and help regain market share in key export markets such as Japan and South Korea.

South Dakota beef plant gets go-ahead
The Zoning Adjustment Board of Aberdeen, S.D., has granted Northern Beef Packers a zoning exception that will allow the company to build a beef slaughter plant just south of town. The plant, which could be in operation by next summer, will process 1,500 cattle per day in one eight-hour shift to avoid noise and traffic during evening and night hours.

Beef Exports up 80% from 2005
U.S. beef muscle meat exports for the first five months of the year are up 80% in tonnage from the same period in 2005 while total beef exports, which includes variety meats such as tripe, livers and kidneys, are up 41% from last year.

Asia Pacific

Russian "nyet" to U.S. beef, pork meant no WTO deal
A dispute over access for U.S. meat to the Russian market helped frustrate U.S.-Russian talks on a deal for Russia to join the World Trade Organization, America's top trade negotiator said on Saturday.

Korea trade talks end early
Talks in Seoul between South Korea and the United States to establish a free-trade agreement ended early on Thursday when the two sides reached an impasse over several issues, mainly in the area of pharmaceuticals.

Japan finds banned U.S. beef in ham, turkey shipment
Japan rejected a box of U.S. roast beef that was mistakenly included in a shipment of pork and turkey, a "minor incident" that should not interfere with resumption of beef exports to Tokyo, the U.S. Agriculture Department said.

USA

Creekstone asks for summary judgment in BSE testing case
Creekstone Farms, which is suing USDA to be allowed to test all of its cattle for presence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, filed for summary judgment in Washington, D.C. Friday, and the company suggested that such universal testing might both eliminate the need for and expense of age verification for export animals and help regain market share in key export markets such as Japan and South Korea.

South Dakota beef plant gets go-ahead
The Zoning Adjustment Board of Aberdeen, S.D., has granted Northern Beef Packers a zoning exception that will allow the company to build a beef slaughter plant just south of town. The plant, which could be in operation by next summer, will process 1,500 cattle per day in one eight-hour shift to avoid noise and traffic during evening and night hours.

Beef Exports up 80% from 2005
U.S. beef muscle meat exports for the first five months of the year are up 80% in tonnage from the same period in 2005 while total beef exports, which includes variety meats such as tripe, livers and kidneys, are up 41% from last year.