Lahaina, Hawaii, July 28 (Reuters) – The United States, Canada and Japan have to make concessions on dairy trade before a wider Pacific trade deal can be wrapped up, New Zealand’s agricultural trade envoy said on Tuesday. Mike Petersen, a farmer who represents the interests of New Zealand agriculture, said the dairy part of the […] Read more
TPP — NZ wants dairy concessions from the U.S.
Canada will not negotiate TPP in public: Ritz
Canada also paying attention to U.S. subsidy programs
Canada’s agriculture minister says Canada won’t negotiate in public when it comes to the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the proposed wide-ranging free trade agreement among a group of Pacific Rim countries. Responding to questions at an unrelated event in Winnipeg last week, Agriculture and Agri-food Minister Gerry Ritz said Canada has put forward strong proposals […] Read more
France says livestock crisis putting thousands of farms at risk
Paris | Reuters –– A downturn in France’s livestock sector has put thousands of farms close to bankruptcy, the government said Friday, as it seeks to contain a crisis that has undermined a flagship pledge to improve the livelihood of livestock producers. Farmers say a deteriorating international market, marked by a Russian food embargo, slowing […] Read more
Fonterra cuts dairy jobs as ‘white gold’ rush fizzles
Wellington | Reuters — New Zealand dairy exporter Fonterra is cutting jobs in an effort to shore up its cash flows as a slump in global dairy demand, particularly from No. 1 buyer China, threatens to snuff out the country’s “white gold” rush. Dairy prices have more than halved from record highs scaled in 2013, […] Read more
Parmalat getting land to expand Winnipeg milk plant
Dairy giant Parmalat plans to expand its Winnipeg milk operations and has been cleared to buy the acres to do so. While the Italian company’s Toronto-based Canadian arm has so far been quiet about its plans, Winnipeg’s city council on Wednesday voted to approve the sale of about 15 acres to Parmalat just south of […] Read more
U.S. said considering TPP trade deal without Canada
Washington | Reuters — The United States, frustrated over the lack of progress with Canada over new rules for agriculture trade, is weighing “contingencies” that could include completing a Pacific Rim trade pact that excludes Canada, according to two sources familiar with the issue. One official familiar with the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiation said […] Read more
Agropur to shut Montreal-area milk plant
Quebec dairy co-operative Agropur plans to shut a Montreal-area fluid milk processing plant which it says has aged out of service. The company said Tuesday it will close its milk plant in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, which today employs 67 full-time and 27 “temporary” staff, by late May next year. “Considering the age and condition of the building […] Read more
Pitting supply management against U.S. subsidies seen as ‘unfair’
CNS Canada — How will Canada’s supply management system stack up against America’s domestic supports if the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) comes to fruition? It’s a question that hasn’t been answered, say some experts from Canada’s farming institutions. “It would be completely unfair if we have to compete with lower prices, because those lower prices are […] Read more
Dairy farmers worry Trans-Pacific trade deal could hurt
Ottawa | Reuters — Canada’s powerful dairy industry on Friday expressed concern it could suffer if talks to create a Pacific trade treaty open up heavily protected Canadian markets to more foreign competition. Some of the 12 nations taking part in negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) want Canada to start dismantling a system known […] Read more
High-fat dairy demand leaving Ont. skim milk homeless
Strong demand for high-butterfat dairy products, soft demand for fluid milk and maxed-out capacity to make skim milk powder have led Ontario’s dairy farmers in recent weeks to dump surplus skim milk in lagoons. A letter to producers last Friday from Dairy Farmers of Ontario board chairman Ralph Dietrich, intended to “put to rest the […] Read more
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