Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico on Monday scrapped a deadline to ban genetically modified corn for animal feed and industrial use amid trade tensions with the United States — but retained plans to prohibit use of the GM grain for human consumption, as well as the herbicide glyphosate. The move, approved in a government […] Read more
Mexico opens door for GM corn in feed, industrial uses
U.S. 'disappointed' in Mexico's new decree
New U.S. ag trade chief demands Canada broaden dairy quota access
USTR's new ag rep's eyes also on Mexico GM corn ban
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — Canada must let U.S. processors of cheese, ice cream, yogurt, milk powder and other dairy products have access to its import quotas to resolve a second U.S. dairy trade challenge, Washington’s new agricultural trade boss told Reuters. Doug McKalip, chief agricultural trade negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, told Reuters […] Read more
Saputo to consolidate U.S. cheesemaking, shut three plants
Plans include one new plant, one repurposed
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Canadian company ranked among the three biggest cheesemakers in the U.S. is preparing to consolidate five of its cheese plants in that country down to two. Montreal-based Saputo announced last Thursday it has construction underway on a new $240 million cut-and-wrap cheese plant in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, to be up and running […] Read more
U.S. seeks new dispute panel over Canadian dairy imports
Panel would be second on matter since CUSMA took effect
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The United States on Tuesday said it was seeking a second trade dispute settlement panel over Canada’s dairy import quotas, charging that Canada was still not meeting obligations to open its market to U.S. producers. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said it was challenging Canada’s revised tariff-rate quota (TRQ) allocations that […] Read more
Northern California deluge’s current rainfall level expected again
Flood risk to continue into next week
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While the deluge of rain over northern California took a day’s break on Tuesday, agricultural meteorologist Drew Lerner of World Weather Inc. said the heavy precipitation would soon resume. Following the worst drought in California history, the state has been receiving very intense precipitation that’s brought flooding to its northern areas. “It will […] Read more
Mexico says it aims for agreement with U.S. on GM corn in January
U.S. officials threatening action under CUSMA pact
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico and the United States aim to reach an agreement in January over a pending Mexican ban on imports of genetically modified (GM) corn, the Mexican foreign ministry said on Friday after officials from the two countries held talks in Washington. In a statement, the ministry said talks would continue […] Read more
U.S. lawmakers call for action over Mexico’s GM corn ban
Mexico says it's working on revisions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — A group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers called on Trade Representative Katherine Tai on Friday to start consultations under the Canada-U.S.Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) over Mexico’s ban on genetically modified (GM) corn and the herbicide glyphosate. The letter signed by 24 members of Congress and led by Republican Representative Adrian Smith […] Read more
USDA supply/demand estimates show only minor updates
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Updated supply-and-demand (WASDE) tables from the U.S. Department of Agriculture included only minimal adjustments to the U.S. and world numbers, with larger revisions likely in the New Year. U.S. soybean and wheat ending stocks projections for the current marketing year were left unchanged, while the corn number was raised slightly. Total U.S. corn […] Read more
Mexico to rework decree on GM corn, economy minister says
GM corn, glyphosate bans now due to take effect in 2024
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mexico City | Reuters — Mexico has offered to extend a deadline to ban genetically modified (GM) corn until 2025 and is working on a proposal to overhaul its plan, Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro said on Wednesday. Buenrostro said President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had told the U.S. Mexico could delay the contentious GM corn […] Read more
Huawei executive’s U.S. bank fraud charges to be dismissed
Charges remain against company itself
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — U.S. prosecutors on Thursday asked a judge to dismiss bank fraud and other charges against Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies, whose 2018 arrest strained relations between the U.S. and China. Meng struck a deal with the prosecutors last year for the charges against her to be dismissed on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
