Bill Tomson

Dairy, meat, produce and other ag producers that count on getting their commodities to Asia and beyond through West Coast ports are lauding a tentative labor agreement between Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that’s expected to produce a six-year labor contract.

The U.S. aims to wrap up negotiations on the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework this year, but not before key provisions on sustainability are added to the agriculture chapter of the deal, Chief U.S. Agriculture Negotiator Doug McKalip said Monday.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced Friday that she is calling for dispute consultations with Mexico over the country’s efforts to ban genetically modified corn and its recent history of rejecting biotech seed traits.