U.S. Retreating from UN System
The U.S. is adopting fewer international treaties, opting out of previous treaty commitments, and often finds itself isolated among the international community on treaties that limit nuclear arms and protect workers, the environment, women and children, concludes a new report on the United Nations treaty system by IATP.

The report, The Treaty Database: A Monitor of U.S. Participation In Global Affairs by IATP's Patricia Jurewicz and Kristin Dawkins, found that of 549 UN treaties the United States has ratified only 157, or 29 percent. The report shows that President George W. Bush signed the fewest international treaties—six—of any U.S. President since Ronald Reagan in his first term.

Perhaps most alarming, since 2000 the Bush Administration has dropped the U.S. government's support of at least five major UN treaties including the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty and the International Criminal Court. The Bush Administration's withdrawal from the ABM treaty in 2002 was the first time a major power has withdrawn from a nuclear treaty after it had become legally binding. North Korea opted out of the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty in 2003, citing new U.S. aggression on nuclear weapons.

"This retreat from the UN system makes it much harder for the Bush Administration to lead at the international level," said Kristin Dawkins, IATP's Vice President of International Programs. "By pulling out of long-held treaties, the Bush Administration has actually weakened the international rule of law. It has set a dangerous precedent that other countries could follow in areas such as arms trade and nuclear weapons."

To read the full report, and a separate analysis of U.S. Presidents' involvement in the international treaty system, go to iatp.org.

Reducing Public Health and
Environmental Impacts of Hog Production
Animal agriculture in the United States for the most part has industrialized, with negative consequences for air and water quality and antibiotic use. In the October issue of The American Journal of Public Health, University of Iowa's David Osterberg and IATP's David Wallinga consider health and environmental impacts of confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and give an overview of current federal, state and local strategies being used to address them.

Osterberg and Wallinga write, "CAFOs have public health impacts. CAFO workers suffer documented ill effects from manure-related gases, odors and degradants; dust; bacteria and endotoxins. CAFOs produce water and air emissions that may affect the health of neighbors, surrounding communities and the environment. CAFOs also make routine use of antibiotics and other feed additives to offset the greater risk of infection from the concentration and accelerated production of animals. This contributes to the global crisis of antibiotic resistance."

"Our conventional economic and regulatory models have thus far done a poor job of addressing the environmental health impacts of CAFOs," write Osterberg and Wallinga. The authors advocate an approach that places the burden on proponents of new CAFOs to demonstrate the safety of future operations.

Read the whole article at ajph.org or contact David Wallinga.

Agriculture to Play Key Role in New Great Lakes Plan
A new plan by the Great Lakes governors and two Canadian provinces to improve the management and protection of the Great Lakes should provide overall benefits for farmers, IATP testified at a public hearing in St. Paul, Minn., on Oct. 7.

During the last three years, the eight Great Lakes states and Canada have worked on developing agreements to govern new water withdrawals, diversions and conservation throughout the Great Lakes basin. Protecting Great Lakes water has become a high-profile issue because of increasing demands within and near the basin as well as proposals to divert water to other regions and countries.

"These Great Lakes agreements are particularly important for farmers, who directly rely on water for their livelihood," said Jim Kleinschmit, IATP's Great Lakes project director. "Agriculture within the basin is high value and diverse, largely due to the water resources and favorable climate. Protecting the Great Lakes will protect Great Lakes farming."

The agriculture community has great potential to help improve water quality and conservation, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, regional culture and landscape protection in the Great Lakes region. IATP has issued a new backgrounder on what the Great Lakes water agreement will mean for farmers in the region and proposes a number of actions and incentives to help farmers meet the goals of the Great Lakes agreement. That backgrounder, Waters in Common, can be found at iatp.org.

The Great Lakes agreements can be viewed on the Council of Great Lakes Governors' Web site at cglg.org.

Country of Origin Labeling
Comes Up Short for Farmers and Consumers
While mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) came into effect for seafood on Sept. 30, U.S. farmers and consumers will not benefit from similar COOL requirements for meat and produce. The 2002 Farm Bill required mandatory COOL for fish, meat and produce by Sept. 30 of this year, but Congress voted earlier this year to delay the requirement for meat and produce until Sept. 2006.

After Sept. 30, all fish and shellfish sold in supermarkets are supposed to carry labels stating the origin of the fish and whether it is farmed or wild.

"COOL for seafood is a good first step towards consumers' right-to-know and better fish and seafood choices," said Dr. Mike Skladany, director of IATP's Fish Program. "Since the vast majority of our seafood is imported, knowing whether fish is wild caught or farm raised and its country of origin injects some first steps into a better understanding of our oceans, fishing and farm-raised methods."

Following the 2002 Farm Bill, Congress was aggressively pressured by the food industry to delay funding for COOL to cover meat and produce. The decision deprives consumers of basic information about where their food comes from and hurts U.S. farmers and ranchers who would gain a marketing advantage in supermarkets. The Senate Appropriations Committee last month rejected an effort by family farm groups to make mandatory COOL apply to meat and produce on Jan. 1, 2005.

Fall Speaker Series on Environmental Sustainability
The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs Environmental Sustainability Program and IATP are co-sponsoring a fall speaker series in environmental change. As part of the series, Ron Kroese of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership talked on Oct. 4 about his experiences as a grassroots environmental organizer.

Upcoming speakers include: Kai Lee, Williams College (Oct. 11); Richard Levins, Professor Emeritus University of Minnesota (Oct. 18); Tsegaye Nega, Carleton College (Nov. 11); Dana Jackson, Land Stewardship Project (Nov. 15); Mark Ritchie, IATP (Nov. 22); Julia Earl, Preventing Harm Minnesota (Nov. 29); and Brian Stenquist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Dec. 6).

The talks will be at noon at IATP's office, 2104 Stevens Ave. S., Minneapolis. For more details, contact Julia Nerbonne at (651) 287-3308, or jnerbonne@hecua.org.

10 Ways to Fix Agriculture Trade
Global trade in agriculture is a mess. The mix of national policies and multilateral rules has sent commodity prices plunging. Farmers around the world have been forced off their land because they can no longer make a living. While much of agricultural trade policy is focused on the World Trade Organization, the WTO has failed rural communities around the world by not incorporating binding commitments toward the human right to food and the establishment of a resilient rural sector as a basis for development.

A new IATP fact sheet outlines 10 proposals for lifting prices for farmers to sustainable levels and fixing the agricultural trading system. The fact sheet is available in English and Spanish at iatp.org.

New International Commodities Panel Seeks Solutions for Farmers
How to solve the global commodity crisis that has driven prices down and pushed farmers off the land continues to challenge the international agriculture community. In June, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development established an International Task Force on Commodities to set an agenda for new research, improve partnerships and greater cooperation and outline new policy strategies. The multi-stakeholder task force will look at agricultural dumping, price instability and the growing market power of transnational corporations.

IATP has produced a new fact sheet on why the task force on commodities is important and how farm groups and civil society can get involved. Read the fact sheet.

Donate to IATP! You can help. IATP does very important work to keep family farmers on the land, to ensure the safety of our food supply and to preserve biodiversity and the environment for future generations. We cannot do this work without you. Your tax-deductible contribution will help us secure a sustainable world. Please make your tax-deductible contribution today. If you would like more information about our programs, or if you would like to discuss different contribution options, please contact Kate Hoff, Development Director, at khoff@iatp.org or (612) 870-3404. We appreciate your interest in our work. Thank you for your support.

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IATP News is an occasional publication reporting on recent events and activities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). It is sent to board members, supporters, partners and friends. If you want to learn more about any particular item or if you do not want to receive this newsletter, send email to Communications Coordinator Ben Lilliston at blilliston@iatp.org or call: 612-870-3416. Your comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Mark Ritchie, President
2105 First Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA
Tel. 1 (612) 870-0453 Fax. 1 (612) 870-4846
Email: iatp@iatp.org Web: iatp.org