NAFTA renegotiation goals released by US – news for weeks of July 17 & 24

Вести поврзани со аг-тек, биотехника, трговија ? and perhaps some other interesting items out there related to agriculture ? will be posted on this page throughout the week (as the week progresses newest items will be in?green?at bottom of sections). ?Be sure to come back and check the page during the week.

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Забелешка: For the last two full weeks of July the ‘Must Read’ section with recent news of interest is going to be combined into one posting.

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TRADE, TRADE RELATED, INFRASTRUCTURE:

Trump administration unveils goals in renegotiating NAFTA – The Washington Post – By Ana Swanson (јули 17)

“Democrats were critical of the measures, saying they didn’t go far enough… Republicans were more positive about the statement, though some still had criticisms.” – Врска

ЈАС, Brazil to propose farm subsidies overhaul to appease developing nations – Политико – By Simon Marks (јули 17)

“The European Union and Brazil will tell the World Trade Organization on Monday they are ready to shake up generous?farm subsidies to reform a global trade landscape widely seen as stacked against emerging countries.” – Врска

China Border Tensions Cloud Asia Trade Pact Talks in India – Bloomberg – By Shruti Srivastava (јули 18)

“The challenge for RCEP is that China would want a quick end to the deal so that it can establish itself as a leader of world trade,” кажа?Palit. “Јапонија, New Zealand won?t be in favor of concluding early as they would want a high quality agreement.?However RCEP is a low-quality agreement as it is not going beyond tariff cuts and investment.” – Врска

US announces start of NAFTA talks in Washington on Aug 16 – CNBC / Ројтерс (јули 19)

“They will take place in Washington from Aug. 16-20, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said.” – Врска

US and China emerge from trade talks without agreement – BBC News (јули 20)

“The two sides did not issue a joint statement or action plan after the meeting and cancelled scheduled press conferences.” – Врска

Food shipments halted at Chinese ports increases by 325% – Food Navigator Asia -?By RJ Whitehead (јули 19)

New agreement will allow US rice exports to China – BBC News (јули 21)

“China has agreed to allow imports of rice from the US for the first time… It follows trade talks between the two countries that resulted in little progress on other issues.” – Врска

Industry players outline their wish lists for ?НАФТА 2.0? and express anxiety about renegotiation – Food Navigator USA -?By Elizabeth Crawford (јули 27)

AG, AG TECH, PRODUCTION, PROTECTION, RELATED ISSUES:

Let’s Talk About GMOs And The Environment – GMO Answers (јуни 30)

“GMOs are one of the best tools farmers have to help protect and preserve our natural resources. Learn how they help us address some of today?s most pressing environmental challenges.” – Врска

This Is How Gene-Editing Will Change The Food You Eat – Forbes.com – By Jon Markman (јули 11)

“In the near future, scientists will engineer food that grows faster and does not spoil. This is the promise of CRISPR/Cas 9, a game-changing gene-editing?tool.” – Врска

Fall Armyworms on March Across Africa – Voice of America – By Sora Halake (јули 14)

“A recently arrived species of armyworm has spread to 21 African countries and threatens the continent’s main food staple, пченка…” – Врска

Making the case for sustainability in ?industrial agriculture? – Проект за генетска писменост – By Ted Nordhaus (јули 21)

“Failure to understanding these basic dynamics too often results in advocacy and policy that is simply misguided. Debates about specific agricultural technologies and environmental impacts often lose sight of the forest through the trees in terms of the relationship between food production and the environment.” – Врска

SoftBank Vision Fund Leads $200 Million Bet on Indoor Farms – Bloomberg – By Selina Wang (јули 19)

“На?SoftBank Group Corp.?chief?s Vision Fund is leading a $200 million investment in Silicon Valley startup Plenty, which says it has cracked the code on growing crops indoors super efficiently…. In recent years several companies including Atlanta-based Podponics, Vancouver?s LocalGarden and Chicago-area FarmedHere have shut down indoor farms because they weren?t economically viable.” – Врска

POLICY, REGULATORY, ACTIVISM, OTHER:

China approves two more GMO crops for import, DuPont disappointed – Ројтерс – By Dominique Patton (јули 17)

“But it leaves four other products owned by Monsanto, DuPont and Dow still on a waiting list pending approval from Beijing.” – Врска

Mark Zuckerberg Visitas a Cattle Ranch – AgWeb – By Sara Brown (јули 14)

“Technology farmers and ranchers use was obviously of interesting to Zuckerberg.” – Врска

The Organic Industry Is in Turmoil – National Review – By Julie Kelly (јули 12)

“На [Вашингтон] Post reported that the fraudulent imports were ?large enough to constitute a meaningful proportion of the U.S. supply of those commodities,? a troubling development that should raise serious questions about the veracity of the organic label…” – Врска

How Berkeley-led academics conspired with anti-GMO groups to attack Food Evolution movie – Проект за генетска писменост – By Stephan Neidenbach (јули 17)

“A University of California Berkeley?PhD candidate wrote a widely publicized letter attacking the science documentary?Еволуција на храна?in June (signed by more than 40 other academics) at the behest of the very groups exposed in the film, without disclosing her connection…” – Врска

Non-GMO Project Is Spreading Fake News Again But Still Has A Grip On Our Food Supply – Forbes.com – By Kavin Senapathy (јули 13)

“The Non-GMO Project is among the most ubiquitous fringe organizations in North America.” – Врска

Judge dismisses suit against General Mills over ‘natural’ oats label in granola bars – Minneapolis Star-Tribune – By Kristen Leigh Painter (јули 17)

“…the plaintiffs’ particular claims made in the case “are simply not plausible.” [Judge] Davis said the plaintiffs’ argument holds the Nature Valley bars to more stringent standards than the federal government holds organic products. Foods labeled as organic are allowed to contain chemical pesticide residue of less than 5 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency’s tolerance level.” – Врска

EU’s biggest farmer slams GM policy – The Scottish Farmer (јули 19)

“Europe’s policy on GM crops ‘discriminates’ against the burgeoning arable sector in its new eastern member states, Romania’s largest farmer has claimed.” – Врска

(*Забелешка – Lucian Buzdugan is a Global Farmer Network member)

African biosafety agencies move to bridge GMO communication gap – The Independent (Uganda) – By Isaac Khisa (јули 20) – Врска