EXAM 2 - Politics of Ag & Food Flashcards
definition: the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power
politics
definition: involve the governmental control and debate over the production, regulation, inspection, distribution & consumption of food
food politics
What 4 major disputes concerning farming, agricultural, and retailing methods & regulations are food politics affected by?
(1) ethical
(2) cultural
(3) medical
(4) environmental
Food politics influences and is influenced by what 3 things?
(1) costs: of food production and prices that consumers pay for food
(2) availability: of different food products
(3) safety: of food supply
What type of crops are most often at the heart of food politics?
non-perishable storable commodity crops (corn, rice, & wheat)
“______ actions” are considered a supplement to regulation and litigation under the environmental laws.
nuisance
What does politics in farming revolve around?
concept of urban sprawl
definition: rural areas encroached on by urban areas and subdivisions
urban sprawl
What actions are used to determine if the use of property is “unreasonable” under given circumstances?
nuisance
What are two main questions nuisance actions address? & If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then what happens?
-is the particular use “NEW”
-is the particular use “ABNORMAL” for the area
-has his neighbor (the defendant) expanded the operation and/or property and is it encroaching on the complainant’s property
Legal action can be taken to stop or “abate” a public nuisance
How is a private nuisance stopped or “abated”?
by legal action brought by a private property owner against an adjacent property owner
What is the side of farmers in the “farmers vs neighbors” conflict?
-legal “right to farm”
-interest in preserving their livelihood
What is the side of neighbors in the “farmers vs neighbors” conflict?
-legal rights to clean art and water
-interest in preserving “quality of life”
______ laws are ones that seek to protect qualifying farmers and ranchers from nuisance lawsuits filed by individuals who move into a rural area where normal farming operations exist, and who later use nuisance actions to attempt to stop those ongoing operations
right to farm
Which US states are right to farm laws enacted in? Does each state have the same content in specific details of the laws?
ALL 50! No!
What was the intention of right to farm laws?
to limit nuisance actions
In general right to farm laws:
-prohibit ____ governments from passing stricter laws on agriculture than the laws of the state
-restrict nuisance suits if the plaintiff moved to the area of an ______ _____ agricultural operation
-restrict nuisance suits if the farm operation engages in ______ ____ agricultural practices that do not violate any laws & if the farm operation is located in an ______ zone
local; already established; generally accepted; agricultural
If plaintiff loses the case in right to farm laws, then who do they have to pay?
attorney fees of the defendant–> limits the number of cases brought about
US food politics focuses on what 5 things?
(1) modern techniques of rearing animals
(2) genetically modified foods
(3) “big” food companies
(4) pesticide use on crops
(5) food movements
With regards to modern techniques of rearing animals, what is the main focus in politics in US?
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) - AFOs with more than 1000 animal units
definition: any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques
GMOs
What are “big” food companies in the US (top 5)?
(1) PepsiCo, Inc
(2) Tyson foods
(3) Nestle
(4) JBS USA
(5) Anheuser-Busch
What is the problem of not having GMOs?
crop yields are reduced = food prices go up = GG emissions go up
The 10 largest food companies produce more than ___% all US food sales.
50
What food company owns just about everything, even non-food products?
Nestle
What was on of the key factors to crop yield increases during the Green revolution?
pesticide use on crops
What led to efforts to control pesticide residues in the US food supply?
concern over possible negative human health effects
What agency has jurisdiction over the use of pesticides in crop management and sets tolerances for trace amounts of pesticides that may be found in the food supply?
US environmental protection agency
What are the food movements-modern cultural reactions against what many see as an increasingly mechanized food industry?
-eating LOCAL
-eating CLEAN
-SLOW FOOD (not fast food)
-meatless days
_______ food politics focus on:
-protectionist trade policies
-international trade agreements
-famines & aid
-political instability
international
What is the greatest new focus of food politics?
debates over climate change concerns and predictions and the future affects on an adequate worldwide food supply
What 3 countries does the NAFTA trade include?
US, Mexico, and Canada
When did the NAFTA agreement go into effect?
1994
NAFTA eliminated ______ associated with imported and exported goods between the 3 countries.
tariffs
How did NAFTA form the world’s largest “free trade” area?
by eliminating tariffs on good between the 3 countries
definition: a tax or duty added to the price of imported goods, designed to encourage domestic consumption of goods
tariff
What are the pros of eliminating tariffs? Cons?
pros:
-incentvises trade
-lowers prices
cons:
-doesn’t help with domestic production
-domestic manufacturing drops
-doesn’t help US GDP
What are tariffs intended to protect?
domestic manufacturing
Who does the BULK of trade take place between?
-US and Mexico
-US and Canada
Under NAFTA, how much did trade grow?
233%
Pros of NAFTA?
-expanded ____ of foods for US consumers with stabilized ___-round supplies (ex: fresh fruits and vegetables)
-____ market for US goods not available in trading partner countries
variety; year; large
Cons of NAFTA?
-_____ of business (jobs) associated with products that can be supplied more inexpensively by free trade partners
-increased US trade ______- the amount by which the cost of a country’s imports exceed the values of its exports
loss; deficit (import more than export)
What agreement replaced NAFTA in July 2020?
United States-Mexico Canada agreement (USMCA)
What was different about USMCA compared to NAFTA?
-focus on science-based policies and biotech
-US has increased access to Canadian dairy, poultry and egg markets
-Canada has increased access to US dairy, sugar, and cotton markets
_____ a 2016 trade agreement between nations that border the Pacific (US, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Peru, Australia)
trans-pacific partnership
How many signers of the TPP?
12
How much % of the world’s economy did the TPP cover?
40
How much was TPP projected to add to US GDP by 2030?
$130 billion
What was the amount of agricultural exports to TPP countries in 2013?
$63 billion (42% of all US agricultural exports)
Was the TPP ratified by congress and was the US involved?
never ratified; and US withdrew
Without the US, what was the agreement called?
Comprehensive Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
What did the CPTPP do?
-removed 99% of tariffs for member countries
-makes US exports more expensive in comparison & uncompetitive because they have to pay the tariffs
-allowed other countries to fill trade vacuum
definition: the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country or a group of countries
embargo
Embargos are generally considered legal barriers to trade, not to be confused with ____, which are often considered acts of war.
blockades
How are embargoes most often used?
-as a POLITICAL tool to pressure foreign countries into some action
-as a POLITICAL retaliation act in reaction to previous POLITICAL action
Why were sanctions imposed on Russia (food embargoes) by several countries in early 2014?
acts of aggression by Russia in the Ukraine
What did Russia do in retaliation to the food embargoes placed on them?
issued food embargoes back to the countries that did it to them
How many million $$$ of chicken was shut down from Russian food embargoes?
310 million
