Dispute Settlement Slugfest: Trade lawyers this week find themselves up to their keisters in WTO dispute settlement cases. For too long trade litigation has been avoided for a variety of reasons, including: 1) comity, 2) inadequate economic value being lost relative to cost of litigation, 3) risk of loss and setting precedent, 4) unintended snowballing of trade cases, etc. Argentina has started an avalanche with its policy attempts at manipulating a trade surplus. This prompted challenges from Mexico, the U.S., Japan and the EU. Now Argentina has formalized its countersuits against the U.S. for restrictions on beef and lemons (see WPI 22 August), and against the EU over a Spanish ban on biodiesel imports, and says it wants to file against...
Key Takeaways: Brazil confirmed a Newcastle disease outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Santa Catarina on 18 October, raising concerns about potential disruptions to poultry exports despite the outbreak being confined to a single facility thus far. Mexico and Malaysia have imposed nationwi...
Yesterday, Alberta held a referendum on whether to begin the process toward independence from Canada. With more than one million votes counted as of early Tuesday morning, around 77 percent supported remaining in Canada, and 23 percent voted to start the process of separation, according to unof...
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Pakistan’s smaller wheat farmers have been holding protests to complain about the lack of a support price for wheat and the potential expansion of GMO crop production. They also want the reinstatement of PASSCO, the governme...
From WPI Consulting
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.