Washington | Reuters –– A key U.S. senator said on Friday the Obama administration may have to renegotiate parts of a Pacific trade pact, heralding a tough battle to win support in Congress. The administration notified lawmakers Thursday it plans to sign the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, starting a countdown to a congressional vote that could […] Read more

White House may have to renegotiate on TPP, senator says

TPP deal to pressure Canadian dairy farmers, Saputo says
Reuters — Canadian farmers will get squeezed between new trade deals that allow more dairy imports to enter the country and slow-growing domestic consumption, Saputo’s CEO said on Thursday. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is expected to open access for New Zealand, the U.S. and other countries to 3.5 per cent of the Canadian market, […] Read more

Canada to review TPP pact, seek public input
Ottawa | Reuters –– Canada’s new Liberal government will review a landmark Pacific trade deal negotiated by the outgoing Conservatives and wants public input on the accord, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said Thursday. Some Canadian dairy farmers and auto workers say their jobs could be threatened by the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, which seeks to cut […] Read more
Indonesia’s president says country intends to join TPP
Washington | Reuters –– Indonesian President Joko Widodo, speaking after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday, said his country intends to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal the U.S. has forged with Canada and 10 other countries. “We are the largest economy in Southeast Asia,” Widodo said through a translator. “And Indonesia […] Read more

A golden future? Trade deal could see more canola crushing here
Canola producers who farm close to crush plants can get premiums, but it can mean more trucking costs
Reading Time: 4 minutes Canadian canola producers are poised to crush the Asian canola oil market if the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal is implemented. “The immediate benefit in the next five years is going to be that the tariffs on canola oil going into Japan are going to drop from 15 per cent to zero,” said Ward Toma, general […] Read more

TPP not the death of supply management, N.Z. trade chief says
Hamilton, N.Z. | MCO — Canada’s supply-managed sectors should not worry about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from where New Zealand’s Trade Minister Tim Groser sits. “I can understand why producer groups would wish to perceive this in a different way, but this is not the end of supply management,” he said here Thursday. “I don’t think […] Read more

TPP trade deal to impact Alberta
Livestock, canola and grain producers say it’s a big win, but supply management will see its market share shrink
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s just what they hoped for — or not as bad as they feared. News of a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was cheered by export-focused farm groups while getting a ‘it could have been worse’ reaction from many in the supply management sector. “This is really fantastic news for Canada’s beef producers,” said […] Read more

Van Camp: Olive branches offered through new gaps in tariff wall
What do you get when you mix milk and eggs with a looming election? A “free” trade deal that gained major market access in Asia for Canada, but managed to keeps the tariffs for Canada’s supply-managed commodities. After all the barking from New Zealand, cows parading on Parliament Hill, tweets, heart-wrenching videos on Facebook, election […] Read more

U.S. hopes to release TPP text in 30 days
Reuters — The U.S. administration hopes to release the full text of a Pacific trade deal within the next 30 days, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in an interview with CNN. The U.S. sealed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with 11 trading partners this week, after more than five years of negotiations. “The lawyers are […] Read more

Critics see TPP as edge of wedge for U.S. milk
A U.S. dairy sector economist is the latest observer to suggest Canada’s concessions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership may eventually lead to more imports of U.S. milk than Ottawa bargained for. Ag economist Andrew Novakovic of New York’s Cornell University said in a release that the TPP, for U.S. producers, marks a major opportunity in Canada’s […] Read more