Agribusiness Update for Friday 01/01/16

Finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement hinges on approval from Japan and the United States, according to Japan Today. The two countries account for some 80 percent of the size of the economy to be covered by the pact, which includes 40 percent of the total global economy. Japan now believes the trade pact looks increasingly unlikely to be implemented before U.S. President Barack Obama's tenure ends due to opposition from leading presidential candidates and some industries. The agreement could be signed as early as February if approved by all the nations.

The EPA failed to deliver on risk assessments for atrazine, glyphosate and imidacloprid in 2015. The agency plans to release the easements in early 2016 and have delayed the risk assessments because, as the agency says, to address the possible carcinogens in glyphosate in light of the assessment recently released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Agency is holding the reports to incorporate the new data. Given that IARC recently classified glyphosate as a "probable carcinogen," environmental groups call the delay harmful to America because it "exposes people to toxic chemicals."

That's today's Agribusiness Update from the Ag Information Network of the West.