Canda gets edge on U.S. in Colombia and China

Northwest Report June 29, 2010 China had been closed to U.S. and Canadian beef imports since the incidents of BSE beginning in 2003. But now, despite the fact that Canada and the U.S. share the same international BSE-risk status, China has announced it will resume imports of Canadian beef. China remains closed to U.S. product. A statement from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association criticizes the past two administrations as well as Congress for the continued lack of access for U.S. beef in China.

Canada now also has a leg up on the U.S. on trade with Colombia. Canada’s Senate has given final approval to a free trade agreement with Colombia. The U.S. and Colombia signed a free trade agreement 3 ½ years ago but Congress has yet to act on it.

Meanwhile, President Obama said at the G-20 Summit that he wants to get the pending free trade agreement with South Korea to congress by November.

Vegetable and melon growers are seeing input costs ease a little. Gary Lucier follows the industry for the USDA.

Lucier: “The average input prices paid by vegetable and melon growers declined about one percent over the first two quarters of 2010. A year earlier the index had fallen four percent after several years of real big increases including a 19% surge in 2008. That surge was caused by energy related inputs of fertilizer, fuels, chemicals and even seed.”

Input costs are however higher than they were three years ago after 2008’s run up in prices of almost 20 percent.

Now here is Lacy Gray with today’s Food for Thought.

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Thanks Lacy. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Report on Northwest Aginfo Net.

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