Asia Pacific | Japan minister sorry on Mexico but upbeat on FTAsJapan's trad...

Asia Pacific

Japan minister sorry on Mexico but upbeat on FTAs
Japan's trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday he was sorry about failed trade talks with Mexico but remained upbeat about concluding more free trade agreements (FTAs) with its Asian neighbors.

Beef Tags Required
Korea retailer demands that beef products be electronically tagged.

Bush to Feast on Japanese Beef at Tokyo Dinner  
President Bush is likely to feast on prime Japanese beef when he is in Tokyoon Friday for a brief visit. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- who munched hamburgers when he visited Bush's Texas ranch in May -- said the menu for dinner with his close ally would feature "wagyu," a high grade of Japanese beef, domestic media said on Thursday.

Americas

Pork proves major stumbling block in failed Mexico-Japan FTA talks
Disagreements over Mexican pork exports to Japan proved to be one of the main spoilers to a potential free-trade agreement the two countries hoped to finalize while Mexican President Vicente Fox visited Japan on Thursday, a Japanese government spokesman said.

FTA talks with Mexico collapse
Free trade talks betweenJapan and Mexico broke down Thursday after four days of intense ministerial negotiations.

Europe

France destroys Corsica cattle herd after island's first BSE case
French officials reportedly have destroyed a herd of cattle on the island of Corsicaafter one of the animals tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

New Twist in Hormone Beef Row
EU says it now complies with WTO ruling on hormone beef and calls on USA and Canada to lift trade sanctions.

Beef and Lamb Get English Label
New marketing assault to be launched for English beef and lamb.

Meat Alternatives Growing
Europeans are increasingly opting for soybean-based alternatives to dairy and meat products.

Europe to Enshrine Beef Ban And Ask U.S. to Lift Tariffs
The European Union plans to announce Tuesday that it has taken all the necessary steps to permanently ban U.S. hormone-treated beef as a health threat and that the U.S. should lift $116 million in annual punitive tariffs imposed on European goods.

EU bans beef with growth hormones
The European Union permanently outlawed the import of US and Canadian beef from cattle receiving growth hormones, saying it now has scientific evidence to justify a ban in place since 1989.

USA

Appeals Court Panel Denies Rehearing In Beef Checkoff Case
A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request for a hearing by the entire Court of its earlier 3-0 decision, which found the beef checkoff is unconstitutional.

House Ag Panel Chief Goodlatte's Views on COOL
What's the position of House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) when it comes to mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)? He doesn't support mandatory COOL, fought it during the 2002 Farm Bill debate, has encouraged White House officials to release mandatory COOL regs and cost-benefit analysis so Congress can have the information to address this issue, and he believes that whatever regs USDA releases, farmers will likely face increased costs as "nearly ever retail food establishment will have their own regulations because they have very significant liability in this process."

COOL Costs Called into Question Again
USDA official says first-year costs could top $3.9 billion.

Wholesale beef prices reach all-time high
Wholesale beef prices increased 20 percent, as cattle futures reached an all-time high on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Thursday.

Asia Pacific

Japan minister sorry on Mexico but upbeat on FTAs
Japan's trade minister Shoichi Nakagawa said on Friday he was sorry about failed trade talks with Mexico but remained upbeat about concluding more free trade agreements (FTAs) with its Asian neighbors.

Beef Tags Required
Korea retailer demands that beef products be electronically tagged.

Bush to Feast on Japanese Beef at Tokyo Dinner  
President Bush is likely to feast on prime Japanese beef when he is in Tokyoon Friday for a brief visit. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi -- who munched hamburgers when he visited Bush's Texas ranch in May -- said the menu for dinner with his close ally would feature "wagyu," a high grade of Japanese beef, domestic media said on Thursday.

Americas

Pork proves major stumbling block in failed Mexico-Japan FTA talks
Disagreements over Mexican pork exports to Japan proved to be one of the main spoilers to a potential free-trade agreement the two countries hoped to finalize while Mexican President Vicente Fox visited Japan on Thursday, a Japanese government spokesman said.

FTA talks with Mexico collapse
Free trade talks betweenJapan and Mexico broke down Thursday after four days of intense ministerial negotiations.

Europe

France destroys Corsica cattle herd after island's first BSE case
French officials reportedly have destroyed a herd of cattle on the island of Corsicaafter one of the animals tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.

New Twist in Hormone Beef Row
EU says it now complies with WTO ruling on hormone beef and calls on USA and Canada to lift trade sanctions.

Beef and Lamb Get English Label
New marketing assault to be launched for English beef and lamb.

Meat Alternatives Growing
Europeans are increasingly opting for soybean-based alternatives to dairy and meat products.

Europe to Enshrine Beef Ban And Ask U.S. to Lift Tariffs
The European Union plans to announce Tuesday that it has taken all the necessary steps to permanently ban U.S. hormone-treated beef as a health threat and that the U.S. should lift $116 million in annual punitive tariffs imposed on European goods.

EU bans beef with growth hormones
The European Union permanently outlawed the import of US and Canadian beef from cattle receiving growth hormones, saying it now has scientific evidence to justify a ban in place since 1989.

USA

Appeals Court Panel Denies Rehearing In Beef Checkoff Case
A three-judge panel of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a request for a hearing by the entire Court of its earlier 3-0 decision, which found the beef checkoff is unconstitutional.

House Ag Panel Chief Goodlatte's Views on COOL
What's the position of House Ag Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) when it comes to mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL)? He doesn't support mandatory COOL, fought it during the 2002 Farm Bill debate, has encouraged White House officials to release mandatory COOL regs and cost-benefit analysis so Congress can have the information to address this issue, and he believes that whatever regs USDA releases, farmers will likely face increased costs as "nearly ever retail food establishment will have their own regulations because they have very significant liability in this process."

COOL Costs Called into Question Again
USDA official says first-year costs could top $3.9 billion.

Wholesale beef prices reach all-time high
Wholesale beef prices increased 20 percent, as cattle futures reached an all-time high on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Thursday.