Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 9 • Number 8 1st May 2009

  • EC Pushes for European Fisheries Reform
    Major cuts in EU fisheries catches are needed to make the industry sustainable, the European Commission (EC) says. According to the Commission’s Green Paper on the Reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), overfishing in European waters is rampant and several institutional shortcomings stand in the way of industry reform. According to the Paper, 88…
  • China Not Satisfied with US Progress on Climate Change
    Despite a recent proposal that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions well beyond what was expected, US climate change efforts do not go far enough, China’s climate change delegation head, told Xinhua News in a recent interview following a meeting of the Major Economies Forum. Members Forum met in Washington DC from 21-22 April to discuss difficult…
  • Swine Flu Triggers String of Pork Import Bans
    Several countries have moved to implement bans on pork products from Mexico and parts of the US as global swine flu infections continue to rise. But critics in the two countries argue that the bans are unfounded, and health officials agree the illness cannot be contracted by eating pork. Since it was first detected in Mexico…
  • In Brief
  • Dispute Panel Established in Tuna-Dolphin Case, Despite US Objections
    The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body agreed to establish a panel to hear Mexico’s complaint against US rules on ‘dolphin-safe’ tuna at its meeting on 20 April. The move drew criticism from Washington, which argues that the case should be adjudicated in the dispute settlement system set up under NAFTA, not the WTO. The establishment of the…
  • Monsanto Sues Germany over Maize Ban
    Multinational agriculture giant Monsanto has followed through with its law suit against the German government over its recent decision to ban the cultivation of MON810, a strain of genetically modified maize that the firm produces. Berlin claims that its ban is based on environmental concerns, but Monsanto insists that the product, which has been approved…
  • Norway Threatens EU over Proposed Seal Ban
    Norway has said it will bring a WTO challenge against the European Union if the bloc moves ahead with a proposed ban on trade in seal products. Environmentalists, who claim that the seal hunt is inherently cruel and inhumane, have long fought for such a prohibition. “The Norwegian government has decided to initiate consultations under the…
  • Sanctions Delayed Again as EU, US Continue Progress on Beef
    Amid strong pressure both at home and abroad, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk agreed in a telephone conversation with his EU counterpart on 22 April to delay for two weeks the start of controversial sanctions intended to strike back against Brussels’ ban on imports of hormone-treated beef. The announcement of the delay came just one…
  • China Instigates WTO Dispute Case against US Poultry Ban
    Beijing launched a WTO challenge to a US ban on Chinese poultry imports on 17 April. The request for consultations follows months of outspoken criticism from Chinese officials, who denounced the regulation before the WTO’s Agriculture Committee last month (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 20 March 2009, http://ictsd.net/i/news/biores/43671/). At issue is a ban on Chinese poultry that…
  • Events
  • Events
    Coming up in the next two weeks (1-15 May) 4-15 May, New York, US. SEVENTEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.  With 53 member states, the CSD was established in 1992 to ensure effective implementation of the UN Conference on Environment and Development. This year’s session, hosted at UN Headquarters in New York will focus…
  • Resources
  • Resources
    If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Andrew Aziz at aaziz@ictsd.ch. BIOSAFETY ASSESSMENT TOOL. By the GenØk Centre for Biosafety, April 2009. Developed over the past five years as part of a larger…