Issues impacting the sugar industry never stop.
Case in point is the ongoing litigation of the EPA’s water pollution rule. The EPA pressed forward with its new water pollution rules despite a defeat in court.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson on Aug. 27 in Fargo, N.D., blocked the measure in 13 states. Officials from those states argued the new guidelines are overly broad and infringe on their sovereignty. The EPA said after the ruling that it would not implement the new rules in those 13 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
Several other lawsuits from other states and farm and business groups remain. Opponents say the water rule imposes excessive burdens on small growers and ranchers.
The EPA counters that the rule merely clarifies which smaller waterways fall under federal protection after two Supreme Court rulings left the reach of the Clean Water Act uncertain. Those decisions in 2001 and 2006 left 60 percent of the nation’s streams and millions of acres of wetlands without clear federal protection, according to EPA, causing confusion for landowners and government officials.
A federal judicial panel is set to hear arguments on EPA’s request to consolidate the lawsuits at an Oct. 1 hearing in New York.
Growers who attended the International Sweetener Symposium in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., are used to waiting for decisions to be made.
The timeline for the anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases against Mexico’s sugar industry is nearing some key dates. The U.S. International Trade Commission will vote on whether Mexican actions have injured Americans on Oct. 20. On Nov. 2, the ITC is expected to issue a detailed report explaining its final jury ruling.
If Mexico is found to have violated U.S. trade law, the negotiated settlement between the two governments will remain in effect.
U.S. officials are also deep in talks with other trading partners.
Depending upon the source the Trans-Pacific Partnership is either slowly nearing resolution or the ongoing negotiations might soon stop.
Negotiations for the multilateral Pacific Rim free trade agreement may be halted if the 12 participating countries cannot strike a broad deal before a general election in Canada in October, Japanese Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Akira Amari said Aug. 28.
The start of U.S. presidential election primaries early next year would also affect momentum for a TPP deal.
More time is also needed for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a proposed deal between the U.S. and the European Union.
During the last two years, there have been many rounds of talks in Brussels and Washington, D.C. EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said that both sides aim to finalize the agreement next year.
EU activists fear a TTIP agreement will bring GMO foods and low quality products to EU stores.
Back at the symposium, growers learned more about changing shopping trends and what that means for the future. Sugar, in all its forms, is among the most discussed food ingredients. It’s at the center of proposals from the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies around the world.
The price of sugar has become a central theme in the ongoing debate over sugar policy. Candy manufacturers looking to gut America’s no-cost sugar policy are hoping to flood the U.S. market with subsidized foreign sugar. But Jack Roney, American Sugar Alliance economist, said Big Candy’s attacks are misleading and don’t paint an accurate picture of U.S. sugar prices.
SIS International, a global market research firm, found in July that average retail sugar prices around the world were 20 percent higher than in the U.S.
With all of these subjects and many more being discussed at the symposium, growers also took time away from speakers and meetings to enjoy the sights around New Mexico, including Santa Fe, hiking, horseback trail rides, jeep tours, hot air ballooning and taking in the panoramic view of Central New Mexico from Sandia’s mountain peak.
They also took advantage of visiting old friends and making new ones. More importantly growers received a concise glimpse of the myriad topics pertaining to sugar at the symposium.