News items related to ag tech, biotech, trade ? and perhaps some other interesting topics out there related to agriculture ? will be posted on this page throughout the week (as the week progresses newest items will be in?green?at bottom of sections). Check the page during the week for updates. ___ Important news out of the EU:

New plant breeding techniques should be exempt from GMO regulation: EU court - Feed Navigator -?By Jane Byrne (Jan 18)

"The Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU (ECJ) has published his legal opinion today clarifying how certain innovative plant breeding techniques (NBPTs) such as genome editing and cisgenesis should be regulated under EU law." - Link

TRADE, TRADE RELATED, INFRASTRUCTURE:

?Free trade? win as Mexico nets US pork market access - GlobalMeatNews.com -?By Oscar Rousseau (Jan 15)

"Mexico, America?s second-largest pork export market, can now sell a lot more pig meat to the US ? in what is being described as a big win for trade liberalisation." - Link

Canada?s Justin Trudeau Has a Strange Understanding of Free Trade - PanAm Post - Opinion by Lee Friday

"...if we pay close attention, we see that the Prime Minister is merely paying lip service to free trade." - Link See also:?Australia initiates WTO complaint targeting Canadian restrictions on sale of wine See also:??The Real Nafta Problem Is With Canada, Not Mexico, Ryan Says

Trump softens on NAFTA - Axios - By Jonathan Swan (Jan 14)

"Two arguments have helped change Trump's thinking.." - Link

Ernst sees Trump opposition to NAFTA softening - Cedar Rapids Gazette (Iowa) - By James Q. Lynch (Jan 15)

"Add Sen. Joni Ernst?s voice to those who believe that President Donald Trump is reassessing his position on the North American Free Trade Agreement." - Link

Maersk and IBM Partner on Blockchain for Global Trade - Fox Business/ Dow Jones Newswires, Wall Street Journal - By Imani Moise and Dominic Chopping (Jan 16)

"Companies say new venture could be used to streamline operations for the entire global shipping ecosystem" - Link

Mexico and Spain must resolve cheese labeling dispute to reach EU trade deal - DairyReporter.com - By Mary Ellen Shoup (Jan 16)

"The two countries' battle may stall a potential EU and Mexico trade deal..." - Link

Trump Has Come to See Nafta?s Benefits, Agriculture Secretary Says - Bloomberg - By Alan Bjerga (Jan 17) - Link

 

AG, AG TECH, RESEARCH, PRODUCTION, PROTECTION, RELATED ISSUES:

Ag industry challenged to tell real story of food production -?Feedstuffs (Jan 12)

Land-grant universities also need to start prioritizing how to communicate what agriculture industry is doing successfully." - Link

Are GMOs the key to global food security? - Devex - By Lisa Cornish (Jan 15)

Agricultural and food security experts are investigating a range of ways to address these challenges." - Link

How The AgTech Investment Boom Will Create A Wave Of Agriculture Unicorns - Forbes.com - By Arama Kukutai and Spencer Maughan (Jan 16)

"The total investment in 2017 topped $1.5 billion-- setting a new record."- Link

How climate change alters plant growth - Phys.org (Jan 15) - Link

Farming is not a one-size-fits-all business - Alberta Farmer (Canada) - By Brenda Schoepp (Jan 15)

"There is room for organic, conventional, and GM technology because each of them offers different benefits" - Link

 

POLICY, REGULATORY, ACTIVISM, OTHER:

Food aid 2018:?the never-ending crisis - IRIN (Jan 15)

"Funding can?t keep pace with need, so where are the biggest gaps and which groups are missing out most? This special IRIN report focuses on those who are most food insecure..." - Link

Rwanda takes early steps towards legalising GMOs - The New Times (Rwanda)? By Emmanuel Ntirenganya (Jan 12)

"Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) has drafted a law governing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Rwanda which will soon be forwarded to the Rwanda Law Reform Commission for review." - Link

In Uganda, anti-GMO scare tactics even taint conventional hybrid crops -?Genetic Literacy Project - By Lominda Afedraru?(Jan 15)

"...the confusion is the result of a communication breakdown." - Link

Check this to see if you can see through misleading food labels - Charlotte Observer - By Cara Rosenbloom (Jan 16)

"If something is proclaimed to be ?organic? or ?natural,? we often think it?s healthier for us. Marketers hope these on-pack words will influence our buying decisions." - Link

Putin is Mounting Sly, Self Serving Attacks on American Science -?Newsweek - By Henry I. Miller (Jan 11)

"...their research and development expertise in that area is virtually nil, and the government has a long-standing ban on genetically engineered organisms from abroad from entering the country, so the Russians have adopted a strategy of trying to inhibit its development elsewhere." - Link