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US LUMBER GROUP CHALLENGES CANADIAN SOFTWOOD PRICING REGIME.
In the
latest turn in the ongoing softwood lumber affair between the US and
Canada (see BRIDGES Weekly, 27 March
2001), on 2 April the
US-based Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports (CFLI) petitioned the US
International Trade Commission for duty relief from what it considers
unfairly subsidised softwood lumber imports from Canada. CFLI maintains
that Canadian "stumpage rates" -- harvesting fees levied by provincial
governments -- are too low, do not reflect market value, and restrict
US softwood lumber producers' market share. The petition comes
immediately following the expiration of the Canada-US Softwood Lumber
Agreement which, in part, prohibited US producers from taking action
against the price of Canadian softwood lumber imports. The ITC will
begin investigating the CFLI claim and determine whether or not
countervailing duties are warranted. Three similar ITC investigations
in the last 20 years have failed to find the Canadian pricing regime at
fault. "US Coalition For Fair Lumber Imports Demands Relief From
Canadian Subsidies, Dumping," CFLI PRESS RELEASE, 2 April
2001; "Statement By Pierre Pettigrew, Minister For International Trade,
In Response to US Softwood Lumber Trade Action," 2 April 2001.
MONSANTO WINS PATENT INFRINGEMENT CASE. On 29 March, Canadian Federal
Court Judge W. Andrew MacKay ruled in favour of Monsanto Co. in what
has become a landmark case involving biotechnology patent holders and
the international environmental community. The case involves Percy
Schmeiser, a Canadian canola farmer, who was accused of knowingly
cultivating canola derived from Monsanto patented canola seeds which
Schmeiser claimed blew onto his farm from a neighbouring field. Having
been found guilty of patent infringement, Schmeiser is now required to
compensate Monsanto for damages resulting from the patent infringement.
Details of the ruling can be obtained from the Federal Court of Canada
website. "Farmer Liable After Biotech Pollen Blows Onto his Field,"
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, 1 April 2001.
CODEX TASK FORCE FAILS TO AGREE ON TRACEABILITY. At its meeting on 25-
29 March in Chiba, Japan, the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force
on Foods Derived from Biotechnology made significant progress in
setting international standards for foods derived from biotechnology,
but failed to reach consensus on the issue of traceability, mainly due
to disagreements between the EU and US. The inclusion of traceability
requirements -- i.e., a system for tracing all foods and food
components from their origin to the point of final consumption -- in
the 'Draft General Principles for the Risk Analysis of Foods Derived
from Modern Biotechnology' failed mainly due to opposition from the US,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India and Indonesia,
according to Alan Randell, a senior food standards official at the UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). "Some countries think that
traceability is too expensive and is not needed," he said. The EU,
however, regards such a system as necessary and is currently developing
its own EU-wide regulations on traceability. Randell declined to offer
further comment on other progress reached by countries. The meeting
documents are available at: http://www.who.int/fsf/GMfood/.
"Cost
worries block accord on GM food traceability," REUTERS, 3 April 2001;
ICTSD Internal Files.
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