Control over food is at stake with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

[unhappycamper]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Control-over-food-is-at-st-by-Mark-Dunlea-130623-63.html

Control over food is at stake with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
OpEdNews Op Eds 6/23/2013 at 09:23:18
By Mark Dunlea

~snip~

Like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which displaced millions of Mexican corn farmers, the TPP is expected to flood markets with cheap products, increasing pressures on small farmers to grow cash crops, rather than traditional food crops. And, like NAFTA, TPP will force small farmers off the land forcing them to migrate to cities, and cross borders hoping to survive. FTAs have undercut the right of local producers to receive a fair, locally determined price for their products by forcing farmers to compete in the global food market.

As a result of FTAs, agricultural production has increased the use of fossil fuels for production and transportation, thereby increasing pollution; increased the use of chemical inputs; expanded the health and environmental risks associated with genetically modified material; and reduced biodiversity by favoring mono-cropping.

Many environmental, farm and fair trade groups are concerned about the negative impact the TPP could have on where and how dairy products are produced and processed. The U.S. dairy industry generates $140 billion in economic activity and employs an estimated 900,000 workers, while providing nourishment to millions more. The nation cannot afford to compete with dairy imports produced under unfair conditions.

Rather than adopt the TPP, governments must uphold the rights of all peoples to food sovereignty and security, and adopt and implement policies that promote sustainable, family-based production rather than industry- led, high- input export oriented production.

[dipsydoodle]

1. The nation cannot afford to compete with dairy imports produced under unfair conditions ?

What about the other way around where due to US farm subsidies farmers in African nations are unable to compete against imports from the US.

[appal_jack]

2. In both directions, farmers & the ecosystem lose while corporate profit$ win. k&r, n/t