Reading Time: 3 minutes Brussels | Reuters — Japan and the European Union should agree on Thursday to a free trade pact that could be completed within months, after senior officials removed final snags to a political deal intended as a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump. “We ironed out the few remaining differences,” European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom […] Read more
EU, Japan officials seal trade agreement
Brazil farm minister heads to U.S. over fresh beef ban
Reading Time: 2 minutes Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazil’s agriculture minister prepared to travel to the U.S. on Friday to fight a ban on imports of fresh Brazilian beef, which hit shares of local meatpackers and revived concerns about the image of the world’s largest beef exporter. “We will fight for this market!” said the minister, billionaire soy […] Read more
U.S. finalizes talks to resume beef exports to China
Reading Time: 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Final details are in place to allow U.S. exporters to resume beef shipments to China, U.S. officials said on Monday, allowing companies to prepare for their first shipments in 14 years. After concluding talks with Beijing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said U.S. producers must track the birthplace of cattle born […] Read more
Canada beats U.S. in pork sales to China – feet, elbows and all
Reading Time: 4 minutes Winnipeg/Chicago/Beijing | Reuters — Canada has overtaken the United States as the top North American supplier of pork to China as farmers and meat packers in both nations battle for lucrative shares of the biggest global market. Canada’s pork sales to China, after a sharp rise last year, exceeded those of the U.S. in the […] Read more
Federal food policy consultations underway
Reading Time: 2 minutes The long-discussed-and-debated notion of a public pan-Canadian food policy has taken a move forward with a new online survey from the federal government. Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay on Monday announced an initial round of consultations and called on the public to “share their input to help shape a food policy that will cover the entire […] Read more
Trump administration triggers launch of NAFTA renegotiations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The Trump administration on Thursday formally launched its effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico to try to win better terms for U.S. workers and manufacturers. With a letter to U.S. lawmakers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he triggered a 90-day consultation period with […] Read more
As Italy seeks pasta labels, Canada worries about durum sales
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg/Rome | Reuters — Italy has this week formally asked the European Commission to allow it to require country-of-origin labels on pasta sold there, raising alarms for Canadian durum wheat exporters who fear the move will dampen sales. Italian Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina said on Twitter on Monday that Italy had sent a decree to […] Read more
Pacific trade pact nations meet to discuss future without U.S.
Reading Time: < 1 minute Ottawa | Reuters — Negotiators from the remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) gathered in Canada on Tuesday seeking ways to boost free trade in the region after the U.S. pulled out of the 12-nation pact. The withdrawal killed off years of negotiations and left the region looking for ways to deepen economic ties […] Read more
Trump vows to back U.S. dairy farmers in Canada trade spat
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to defend U.S. dairy farmers who have been hurt by Canada’s protectionist trade practices, during a visit to the cheese-making state of Wisconsin. Canada’s dairy sector is protected by high tariffs on imported products and controls on domestic production as a means of supporting prices that […] Read more
Pulse firm AGT sees resolution of India-Canada trade snag
Reading Time: 2 minutes Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada’s AGT Food and Ingredients, one of the world’s biggest exporters of peas and lentils, expects India to extend an exemption for Canada within days from a crop fumigation policy that threatened to jeopardize $1.1 billion in annual trade of the food staples, CEO Murad Al-Katib said Tuesday. India’s current exemption […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
