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Agricultural labor law’s “touchback” provisions make absolutely no sense

  “The H‑2A Touchback Requirement Makes No Economic or Security Sense” By David Bier, courtesy of the Cato Institute   The House of Representatives passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act (H.R. 5038) last month. The House bill made some improvements to the H-2A program, which allows farmers to hire foreign guest workers, but it incorporated […]

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The most unhelpful Brexit idea so far: UK-EU tariffs

  Just Say No To Uk-EU Tariffs By Simon Lester, courtesy of the Cato Institute   It’s hard to figure out sometimes whether Twitter reflects reality, but I’ve seen some discussion there suggesting that as part of the Brexit negotiations, the UK and the EU may be negotiating about the extent to which they will impose tariffs […]

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Yummy: Thanksgiving dinner costs less than ever

“Thanksgiving Dinner Costs Less and Other Reasons to Be Thankful” By Chelsea Follett, courtesy of the Cato Institute   Watching the news or discussing it with your family at Thanksgiving dinner, it is not hard to fall into the trap of thinking that the entire world is moving in a negative direction. It may be […]

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China cracks down on illegal vaccines in swine fever disaster

    Illegal vaccines threaten to exact a heavy toll in conjunction with China’s continuing epidemic of African swine fever, which has killed (or forced authorities to preemptively cull) hundreds of millions of pigs since it began spreading in spring 2019. Chinese food regulators and health authorities are cracking down on illegal vaccines used by […]

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Why does Switzerland have sugar subsidies? Why does anyone?

  “Sweet temptation” By Dr. Patrick Dümmler, courtesy of Avenir Suisse   Something consumed by lots of people every day should never be in short supply, even in a crisis — or so the thinking goes. The Swiss Confederation therefore requires selected sectors to engage in stockpiling, in order to be able to ensure continued […]

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And who shall watch the sheep? No one, apparently

  “New Policy Banning H‑2A Sheepherders Shows Need for Congress to Act” By David Bier, courtesy of the Cato Institute   Yesterday, the Trump administration announced it would end a decades-old practice of allowing sheep and goat herders to enter the United States as guest workers under the H-2A program. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services […]

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China’s pig population will take five years to recover

      Pigs are prolific breeders, reaching sexual maturity at six months, and with each sow capable of giving birth to up to a dozen piglets, after gestation lasting an average 115 days. Thus it is a remarkable testimonial to the devastating impact of African swine flu that China’s pig population will take over […]

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New bill would legalize agricultural labor (but E-Verify is still a disaster)

    “Bipartisan Bill Increases Legal Migration & Legalizes Farmworkers” By David Bier, courtesy of the Cato Institute   A bipartisan group of about 50 House members, equally divided between both parties, introduced legislation today that expands both permanent and temporary migration for agriculture, while legalizing illegal farmworkers. The Farm Workforce Modernization Act will be […]

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U.S.-Japan trade deal is all about propping up American farmers

                    “Implications of the Japan – United States Mini Trade Agreement” By Sybrand Brekelmans and Uri Dadush, courtesy of the Bruegel Institute     On 25th of September,  President Trump and Prime Minister Abe concluded a partial trade-agreement whose main provisions are to reduce Japan’s tariffs on […]