Brazilian beef exports have paid a price for Operation Weak Flesh, the Brazilian government investigation into alleged bribery of food-sanitation inspectors. [See Brazilian Meat Exports Skewered.] The investigation culminated in March with charges against 21 meat...
Where US Beef Comes from
Do you know where US beef comes from? Until last month, you could find out where your hamburger came from by reading the label on the package. Labeling meat products to disclose where the animal was born, raised and slaughtered was mandatory. But Congress has repealed...
Congress Blinks, Repeals COOL
Faced with the threat of retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico, Congress tucked a repeal of the mandatory country-of-origin labeling – or COOL – rules for meat that offended the NAFTA trade partners into the omnibus spending bill passed in the closing days of...
WTO Rules US COOL Unfair to Canada, Mexico
Are the NAFTA partners getting set to trade sanctions instead of imports and exports? The US is being urged to drop its country-of-origin labeling requirement for imported meat and livestock following the World Trade Organization’s decision in favor of the Canadian...
Russian Sanctions Impact Uruguay, Paraguay Exports
Paraguay’s exports to Russia surged 50.75%, while Uruguay’s exports rose 34.11% this August compared to the same month last year. September’s trade data indicates more modest gains, with Uruguay’s exports to Russia up 12.09% and Paraguay’s increased 6.90% over...
Here’s the Beef
Cattle outnumber people more than 3 to 1 in Uruguay by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor Get a group of trade policy junkies together and the first word likely to pop into their minds when they think of Uruguay is “round” – a reference to the Uruguay Round of multilateral...
Regulatory Mélange
Grocery Manufacturers Association recommends a blend of US-EU food standards The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) just endorsed a new bill in Congress aimed at Agricultural Trade Facilitation – that is, lowering barriers to US agricultural exports. Pamela G....
Trade Beef
US cattleman urges action on FTAs as competitors vie for overseas markets The US agricultural sector pressed its case for ratification of pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea before the US House of Representatives Committee on...
Chile Lets in US Beef
US Trade Rep reports success in lowering trade barriers Just in time for the second annual issue of the US Trade Representative’s reports on efforts to lower barriers to US exports, Chile agreed to end its ban on US beef and beef products, imposed in 2003 after a US...
Clock Stops on Countdown to Tariffs
Brazil, U.S. reach agreement in 11th-hour talks Brazil’s threat to impose stiff tariffs on a range of U.S. products and commodities as of April 7 has been withdrawn thanks to negotiations that began April 1 and concluded with an agreement announced April 6. The...