CETA’s bitter taste for European Food and Agriculture
Today, most of the EU-Canadian free trade agreement known as CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) provisionally comes into force. It’s provisional because should even one of the 28 EU member states refuse to ratify it—the deal could collapse.Organics in NAFTA: Who sets the standards?
The NAFTA talks are advancing rapidly with very little information available to the public on their content or the possible consequences for fair and sustainable food and farm systems. IATP is aiming to stay on top of the process, and our Senior Attorney, Sharon Treat, will be in Toronto this weekend for the third round of negotiations.Trade & Ag for your ears: Our new podcast Uprooted
IATP produces mountains of research and analysis every year. It's hard to keep up with, even for us on staff! Fortunately, we had a great intern, Johan Cavert, over the summer who helped us relaunch our podcast, under the title Uprooted. Johan did a great job creating a compelling, but light-hearted narrative look at the very complex topic of international trade. Agroecological Transition in Mexico
Download the formatted paper here. CETA: European Food and Agriculture Standards Under Threat
CETA: European Food and Agriculture Standards Under Threat Blog
On 21 September, the EU-Canadian free trade agreement known as CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement) provisionally comes into force. Or rather, “most of the agreement” does. It’s provisional because should even one of the 28 EU member states refuse to ratify it—it will cease to exist. This means that large parts of CETA will be activated before ratification by the parliaments of EU member states. However, EU member states can still choose not to ratify it, in which case CETA will be rejected in its entirety. Before EU parliamentarians make their decision, they must confront a series of critical questions regarding CETA and its implications for the future of European food and agriculture.
CETA stealthily packages several other controversial elements that leave a bitter taste for European Food and Agriculture. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) Europe, Greenpeace and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) have launched three briefing papers that outline why CETA’s deregulatory provisions undermine European food safety standards, Europeans’ desire to know where their food comes from and their aversion to cloning.
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