News

World Bank Agriculture Trade Survey

The World Bank Group’s Enabling the Business of Agriculture project is inviting NAEGA members to contribute their knowledge and expertise to the Enabling the Business of Agriculture 2019 report.  The report will analyze and monitor regulations that impact how markets function in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors in 82 countries around the world. More information on EBA, including its latest report covering 62 countries can be found here: http://eba.worldbank.org/.  Among others, EBA data can be a useful tool when advocating for regulatory reforms to enable market access in your countries.

The EBA team is looking for trade associations, agribusinesses, agri-cooperatives and other associations in your country to share their knowledge by completing a set of questions on the regulatory challenges they face when exporting agricultural products. These questions can be found in Section 5 of this survey.

Data collected through these surveys will be presented in the EBA’s 2019 report and, if you choose to contribute, you will be acknowledged in the report and on their website, subject to your consent. The EBA team will also send you a World Bank certificate of participation and a complimentary copy of the report. Individual responses are kept strictly confidential and are not shared with anyone inside or outside the World Bank.

MRL Workshop Trip Report

A trip report is now available for NAEGA contractor Matt Lantz’s travel to Geneva, Switzerland. In Geneva, Matt, in close coordination with the IGTC’s MRL Policy Team, participated in a WTO sponsored Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) Workshop on February 26-27. At the workshop Matt will represented NAEGA and advanced IGTC policy advocacy related to MRLs during discussions with importer and exporter government officials, intergovernmental organization representatives, and industry.

A copy of the trip report is available here.

COCERAL Transition Trip Report

A trip report is now available for IGTC Secretariat Katy Lee’s trip to Brussels, Belgium. In Brussels, Katy met with COCERAL’s new Secretary General Iliana Axiotiandes and Head of Regulatory Affairs Kevin Bosc to discuss the transition of the new COCERAL leadership following the departure of IGTC vice-president and COCERAL secretary general Teresa Babuscio. During a full day of meetings, Ms. Lee and COCERAL discussed IGTC policy positions on plant breeding innovation, maximum residue limits (MRLs) and electronic documentation; the leadership role of The Netherlands in the International Plant Protection Convention’s (IPPC) ePhyto pilot project; and the support of the EU Commission in identifying regulatory frameworks to support implementation of the ePhyto initiative.

A copy of the trip report is available here.

Trump Administration Looks to Join TPP

In comments made yesterday to Senators and Governors from major agriculture states, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his National Economic Council Chair Larry Kudlow and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to pursue U.S. membership in the recently completed Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP. This move follows the U.S. withdrawal from the agreement during the first week of the Trump presidency in 2017. The agreement, which was signed in early March, includes market access and regulatory cooperation amongst 11 pacific nations including, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.