08/22/06 Putting the Pressure On

Putting the pressure on. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Russia`s putting the pressure on the U.S. to endorse its bid for World Trade Organization membership. In fact - in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab - Russia`s Economy Minister threatened to block U.S. meat imports if the U.S. doesn`t approve Russia`s accession bid within three months. But the U.S. didn`t take that warning lightly. USTR spokesman Sean Spicer says imports of certain beef, pork and poultry are subject to measures agreed to by both Russia and the U.S. after Russia took a unilateral action to limit imports of the products in 2003. And although a statement from Russia`s Economic Development and Trade Ministry says those terms could be dropped if talks with the U.S. in October are unsuccessful - Spicer says that`s not the case. According to Spicer - if Russia fails to honor the terms of a negotiated agreement for importing meat - it will cause a serious problem - and in his words - complicate our efforts to conclude the negotiation of our bilateral WTO agreement. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Oh to be a dog in America&.. American dogs don designer dog collars, visit doggie day spas and have health care plans better than many humans, so it seems only "natural", (forgive the pun) that our dogs are fed organic dog food. The organic pet food category is growing nearly three times the rate of human organic foods. Sales of organic pet food rose 63 percent a year with companies like Paul Newman's' Newman's Own Organic, jumping on the band wagon. Newman's' Own expects organic pet food sales to top 20 million in the coming two years. While there isn't any research showing organic pet food as healthier, there is also a lack of statistics determining price caps, how much is too much for consumers to pay to feed their canine friends. Dog owners in San Francisco spend up to $50.00 for 15 pounds of organic dog food, and while analyst's feel a $100 bag might be a tough sell. I bet it won't be because when it comes to America's dogs, a wise man once told me "nothing's expensive if you have the money." Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.