From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (misc.activism.progressive co-moderator)
Newsgroups: talk.environment
Subject: TRADE NEWS: "TB INFECTED CATTLE LIKELY TO INCREASE UNDER NAFTA"
Date: 15 Oct 92 21:25:02 GMT
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB

[Via misc.activism.progressive from PeaceNet's trade.news]
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Topic 176       TRADE.NEWS 10-14-92 
kmander Updates on GATT & NAFTA Negotiations    12:20 pm  Oct 14, 1992 
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

TRADE NEWS BULLETIN 
Wednesday, October 14, 1992 
_________________________________________________________ 
NAFTA News Summary 
_________________________________________________________ 
TB INFECTED CATTLE LIKELY TO INCREASE UNDER NAFTA 

Growing numbers of cattle infected with tuberculosis are entering  
the United States from Mexico, putting thousands of livestock  
farmers and workers at risk, experts say.  In a letter to  
Representative Charles Stenholm (D-Texas), USDA's Jo Ann R. Smith  
said, "The risk of domestic herds becoming infected with tuberculosis  
through contact with imported Mexican herds has increased as the  
number of steers imported from Mexico continues to increase." 

Senator Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) said the increase in the  
number of infected cattle and the potential for more under the North  
American Free Trade Agreement "raises serious questions about the  
amount of resources the Mexican government can employ in  
detecting diseased animals before they cross the border." 

Dr. Jeffrey Starke of the Children's Tuberculosis Clinic in Houston said  
that livestock workers are at risk but the general population is not.   
Bovine TB can be contracted by humans through contact with an  
infected animal or drinking unpasteurized milk. 

Source: Jennifer Dixon, "Bovine TB," AP, October 10, 1992. 
_________________________________________________________ 
GATT News Summary 
_________________________________________________________ 
EC-US CLOSE TO GATT FARM DEAL 

Today's FINANCIAL TIMES of London reports that the European  
Community and the United States are very close to reaching an  
agreement on subsidized farm trade.  Senior EC officials and leaders  
of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) say the U.S. has  
agreed to allow the Uruguay Round text to include a provision  
exempting some compensation to European farmers from the GATT  
requirement to reduce overall subsidies by 20 percent.  The EC  
sought the exemption for payments to compensate farmers for recent  
reforms in the EC's Common Agricultural Policy.  The two sides are  
also working on the legal texts for cutting subsidized exports by 24  
percent.   

However, the EC and U.S. still disagree on the extent to which the EC  
must lower its oilseeds production to comply with a GATT ruling.   
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	[yet the Washington Party Line goes on talking about "free"
	trade. In the real world, the *powerful*, those negotiating
	and their corporate backers, are in arguments of the haves
	against the (other) haves, each trying to maximize profits, be
	the method "anti-protectinist" allowing access to cheap labor
	in union-repressing Mexico (see extensive articles posted to
	MAP last month) or "protectionist" limist on oilseeds
	production which are not to be called protectionist but part
	of the lovely "free market" cure-all according to the dogma
	the Free Press will continue to faithfully parrot. --HB]

Dean Kleckner, president of AFBF, said he was not optimistic the  
oilseeds dispute would be settled soon.  He added that a failure to  
conclude the agreement in the next 10 days would "make it a dead  
certainty" the U.S. will carry out threats to impose retaliatory tariffs  
on EC imports. 

Meanwhile, several members of Congress including Senator Patrick  
Leahy (D-Vermont), Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Senator  
Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) have expressed concern to the Bush  
Administration over the apparent all-out effort to reach an  
agreement on GATT before the November 3 presidential election.   
Leahy said a "bad agreement is worse than no agreement at all" and  
encouraged the Administration to "make no agreements that are not  
in the best interests of all Americans.  Forget about the election; do  
what's right for our country." 

Source: David Gardner, David Dodwell, "EC and US Closer to Farm  
Trade Deal," FINANCIAL TIMES, October 14, 1992, p. 1; David  
Dodwell, "Oilseeds Are Main Stumbling Block to GATT Deal,"  
FINANCIAL TIMES, October 14, 1992, p. 8; Statement of Senator  
Patrick Leahy on GATT Negotiations, October 10, 1992. 
_________________________________________________________ 
AFTER US-EC ACCORD, 2 MORE MONTHS NEEDED TO FINISH GATT 

Even if the United States and European Community settle their GATT  
differences, trade officials predict at least two more months of  
negotiations will be necessary in Geneva before the Uruguay Round  
can be completed. 

Outstanding issues include: Agriculture - specifically Japan and South  
Korea's wish to maintain their rice import bans; Market access -  
other countries will have to agree on accords not covered by the US- 
EC deal; Intellectual property - The U.S. will have to convince other  
nations to accept greater protection for pharmaceutical patents;  
Services - The U.S. and EC want developing countries to open further  
their services sectors, especially in financial services; Multilateral  
Trade Organization - Details must still be worked out; Dispute  
Settlement - Developing countries want the U.S. to agree not to use  
its powers of unilateral retaliation and to abide by a strengthened  
multilateral disputes procedure. 

Source: Frances Williams, "Two Months' Work Needed," FINANCIAL  
TIMES, October 13, 1992, p. 6. 
_________________________________________________________ 
Produced by: 
Kai Mander 
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) 
1313 Fifth Street SE, Suite #303 
Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546 USA 
Telephone:(612)379-5980 Fax:(612)379-5982  
E-Mail:kmander@igc.org 
_________________________________________________________