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
U.S. lawmakers call for action over Mexico’s GM corn ban
Mexico says it's working on revisions
USDA supply/demand estimates show only minor updates
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
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
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
Biden administration makes case for quick Senate vote to avoid rail shutdown
Bill imposing deal on workers clears House
Washington | Reuters — The Biden administration on Thursday urged the U.S. Senate to quickly pass a bill to block a railroad strike, warning that serious economic disruptions could be felt within days. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to approve a bill to impose a tentative contract deal reached in September on […] Read more
Mexico open to deal with U.S. on GMO corn
U.S. corn growers seek clarity over ban
Mexico City | Reuters — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he is seeking a deal with Washington after the United States threatened legal action over Mexico’s plan to ban genetically modified (GMO) corn in 2024. After meeting with Mexican officials on Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said Mexico’s decree […] Read more
U.S. avian flu outbreak of 2022 wipes out record number of birds
Vast majority of caseload originated with wild birds: USDA
Chicago | Reuters — Avian flu has wiped out 50.54 million birds in the United States this year, making it the country’s deadliest outbreak in history, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed Thursday. The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 […] Read more
Biden says administration engaged in talks to avert U.S. railroad strike
CN's U.S. operations would be affected
Nantucket | Reuters — U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that his administration was involved in negotiations to avert a looming U.S. railroad strike that could shut down supply chains across the country but added that he has not directly engaged on the matter yet. Speaking to reporters outside a fire station on Nantucket […] Read more
Biggest U.S. rail union rejects tentative deal, raising threat of strike
Union digs in on paid sick time
Washington/Los Angeles | Reuters — Workers at the largest U.S. rail union voted against a tentative contract deal reached in September, raising the possibility of a year-end strike that could cause significant damage to the U.S. economy and strand vital shipments of food and fuel. Train and engine service members of the transportation division of […] Read more
Lab-grown meat cleared for human consumption by U.S. regulator
FDA's review not technically approval
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption, the agency announced on Wednesday. Upside Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, […] Read more
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