Trade Negotiations Continue

This week, important negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement are taking place in Atlanta, US.

The TPP involves twelve countries from around the Pacific, and has been years in the making, but there has been much media speculation that a deal could be reached this week.

Farmers in several of the countries are concerned about the deal.

In Canada, poultry meat, egg and dairy farmers are concerned that their popular supply management system could be sacrificed by negotiators in order to sign the agreement.

The strength of their worries was indicated on Tuesday, when demonstrators took to the streets in the Parliament area of Ottawa.

Dairy Farmers of Canada noted that representatives of supply managed sectors were in Atlanta trying to ensure farmers' interests were protected by negotiators.

The organisation said that Canadian food is produced according to standards that are among the highest in the world for safety and quality, and it’s because of supply management that these standards are enforced.

“Canadians don’t want to see a new trade agreement threaten that,” said DFC President Wally Smith.

Politicians have promised Canadian farmers that they will be protected in the trade deal. This round of negotiations should conclude today – read more.

Meanwhile, in avian influenza news, there has been another outbreak in Nigeria, and a low pathogenic outbreak in South African ostriches.

Countries have continued to make preparations for future flu outbreaks. The Latin American Poultry Association (ALA) released a document aiming to unify responses to the disease and biosecurity measures of the Latin American region – read more.

Nigerian farmers have also been urged to implement better biosecurity to protect their birds, whilst the Poultry Federation in the American state of Georgia has embarked on an educational campaign.

~ Alice