S. Korea to resume import quarantine inspections on U.S. beef

South Korea will resume quarantine inspections on U.S. beef shipments next week after effectively halting them earlier this month, a government official said Friday.


The decision comes after the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry carefully examined official U.S. explanations on several thousand tons of U.S. beef that included cow backbones and ribs in violation of an agreement reached earlier.


An official at the Agriculture Ministry said quarantine inspections will resume on Monday for newly arrived beef shipments from the U.S. as well as 6,832 tons that have been held in customs.


Under a deal reached in January 2006, South Korea agreed to allow the import of boneless beef from cattle under 30 months old.




This pack permits Seoul to impose an import ban if parts like backbones that were classified as specified risk materials (SRMs) are found. SRMs are blacklisted because they pose the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans.


South Korea had banned all American beef after a case of mad cow disease case was confirmed at a U.S. ranch in late 2003.


"While quarantine inspections on American beef are to start again, the current ban will be maintained on the four meat processing centers that shipped ribs, while Seoul has revoked its export permit from the one that shipped backbones," said Lee Sang-kil, head of the ministry's livestock bureau.


Of the five meat processing centers affected, three are run by Cargill Inc. and two by Swift & Co. Both are major exporters of American beef to South Korea.


If more bone-in beef and SRMs are found in future shipments, Lee said a "two-track" approach will be made to ensure that sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) negotiations can move forward regardless of any future discovery of ribs or backbones.


"If non-SRM meat like ribs are found in future packages, the meat concerned processing plant will be barred from shipping meat until a new SPS deal is signed," he said. If SRM materials are discovered, the export permit of the meat processing plant will be revoked, while a blanket ban will be reinstated.


He, however, said negotiations on a new SPS will not be put on hold even if no American beef reaches consumers. For bone chips, only the packages that have them will be sent back, he said.


He said South Korea has no immediate plan to conduct on-site inspections of U.S. slaughterhouses to ensure safety. However, he hinted that a visit may be arranged before a new import arrangement is signed.


"At present Seoul accepts Washingto's pledge to increase the number of inspectors, introduce tougher labelling rules and use computerized weight measurements to determine if bones have been mistakenly put into a package destined for exports," the policymaker said.


The decision is expected to allow progress to be made on negotiations aimed at revising South Korea's SPS that prohibit bone-in beef, such as ribs and backbones from being imported.


Washington has been calling on Seoul since late May to change its SPS rules to permit the import of bone-in beef as well.


The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has granted the United States a mad cow "risk controlled status" that technically opens the door for exports of most cow parts as long as they are from animals under 30 months old.

Brazil to import more Arab leather

São Paulo – Brazilian imports of goat and sheep hides and skins, destined to the shoe industry, should increase in the next half of the year. The reason for that is the tax exemption for imports of those items, which was approved this week. Foreign suppliers of Brazil include the Arab countries. "The leading suppliers of goat and sheep hides are the African countries, and those include some Arab countries," said the executive director at the Confederation of Brazilian Hides and Skins Industries (CICB), Luiz Bittencourt.

From January until July this year, Brazilian imports of skins and hides in general from the Arab countries totalled US$ 1.34 million. The main Arab suppliers include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria, from where Brazil imports bovine, sheep and goat leather. In the first seven months of 2007, imports of the latter two items totalled US$ 390,000. "Brazilian imports are going to increase for certain," said Bittencourt.

According to him, the Brazilian production of sheep and goat leather is not enough to meet the domestic demand. Currently, the national production capacity is 12 million units per year, but raisers are only able to supply 7 million tonnes, therefore there is a need to import. These types of leathers account for 15% to 20% of the market, and virtually the entire production is in the northeastern states. "Leather from the northeast region has no wool, therefore it is applied to shoes because it looks like some sort of bovine leather. The skins of the southern region, on the other hand, cannot be used in this sector," said Bittencourt.

In previous years, Brazil also imported leather from the United Arab Emirates and Somalia, which may occur again in the face of the tax exemption. In total, Brazilian imports of leather in general in the first seven months of this yaer totalled US$ 89.76 million, an 11.8% increase over the same period of 2006. The data were supplied by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) of the Brazilian federal government.

Exports

Although Brazil needs to import sheep and goat skins and hides, the country is one of the world's leading producers of leather, with a processing capacity for around 45 million tonnes. Furthermore, Brazil is the world's largest exporter of leather, at 35 million pieces a year. One of the main reasons for this leadership is the abundance of raw material supply, as the country has more than 200 million heads of bovine cattle heads, the world's largest commercial herd.

Leather ranks among the main products exported by Brazil. From January until July, the country exported the equivalent of US$ 1.28 billion, an increase of 26.5% compared with the same period of last year. Just to have an idea, foreign sales of bovine meat yielded US$ 2.5 billion in the accumulated result for the first seven months in 2007.

The industrial complex in the sector is comprised of 800 companies that operate in leather production and processing. The activity generates a turnover of around US$ 3 billion in the country and employs 45,000 people, according to the CICB.

Cubs hope import from Detroit supplies fuel

SAN FRANCISCO -- Will Craig Monroe become the Randall Simon of the 2007 Cubs?

General manager Jim Hendry can only hope his latest acquisition contributes as much as Simon did during the '03 stretch run and postseason.

Like Simon, Monroe wasn't having much of a season when the Cubs came calling. He was hitting .222 when Detroit designated him for assignment last week, but the Cubs were looking at his .302 average in 96 at-bats against left-handers.

"He's not having a great year, numbers-wise, against the righties (.190 average)," Hendry said. "But he's still swinging the bat great against the lefties, and still has (55) RBIs. I was looking for a little more veteran help against lefties."

The Cubs are 12-19 against left-handed starters, including Wednesday night's win against Giants lefty Barry Zito, who left with a no-decision despite throwing eight solid innings. They began Thursday ranked 13th in the NL with a .253 average against left-handed pitching.

Monroe, 30, hit 28 home runs and drove in 92 runs with the Tigers in '06, including 15 homers and 50 RBIs after the All-Star break. He also hit five home runs in the postseason, helping the Tigers into the World Series.

"He's a good athlete, a good outfielder and he's got some pop," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.

"The teams we're playing here, they all have left-handed starters in their rotation. He'll be a valuable addition."

The Cubs hope he's as valuable as Simon was in 2003. Acquired in an August trade from Pittsburgh, Simon hit .282 with six home runs and 21 RBIs in 33 games. He hit .333 with a homer and six RBIs in the playoffs.

Monroe is arbitration-eligible in '08 and is likely to be non-tendered in November since he makes $4.8 million and the Cubs already are scheduled to pay Alfonso Soriano and Jacque Jones a combined $18 million in '08.

Detroit will pay around $600,000 of the remaining $900,000 of Monroe's '07 salary and receive a player to be named later.

The Tigers reportedly are seeking a left-handed pitcher on the Cubs' 40-man roster, which suggests either Clay Rapada or Neal Cotts.

The move shows the Cubs aren't satisfied with the play of Matt Murton, hitting .246 since his call-up from Triple-A Iowa. Monroe will platoon in right with Cliff Floyd but will also play some left until Soriano returns from his quad injury.

"This gives Lou some options here we didn't have before," Hendry said.

Cubs bench coach Alan Trammell, who had Monroe for three years when he managed in Detroit, said the outfielder could always hit and plays well defensively in the corner spots.

"He's a great guy and will fit in very, very well," Trammell said. "He gives us some experience, and a guy that's produced at the major-league level."

The Cubs designated Triple-A Iowa outfielder Buck Coats for assignment, giving them room on the 40-man roster to add Monroe, who will join the team in Arizona on Friday. Jake Fox is likely to be sent to Iowa on Friday, and probably will be recalled after Sept. 1, when the rosters expand.

Wheat Price Reaches Record as India, Taiwan, Japan Seek Imports

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Wheat prices in Chicago rose to a record, extending gains for a fifth day, as importers, including India, Taiwan and Japan, sought to buy the grain and adverse weather reduced supply in major exporting countries.

India, the world's biggest wheat consumer after China, plans to buy cargoes of 25,000 to 75,000 metric tons each for delivery from October to December, the New Delhi-based company said on the government Web site. The company will decide how much to import by Sept. 3.

Unfavorable weather has damaged crops in major producers including Australia, Europe, Russia and Ukraine. Global inventories of the commodity used to make bread, pastries and biscuits are expected to fall to the lowest in 26 years by May 31, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

``We may see wheat futures go up further as buyers are rushing to secure more and global supplies are very tight,'' said Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst at commodity broker Okachi & Co., by phone from Tokyo. ``We anticipate a higher-than-expected number for weekly U.S. export sales later today.''

Wheat for December delivery gained 11.25 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $7.43 a bushel by 7 p.m. Singapore time in electronic trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. Prices more than doubled in the past year.

Overseas orders for U.S. wheat supplies are up 86 percent since June 1 compared with a year earlier, USDA data show.

Taiwan, Japan

The Taiwan Flour Millers Association, which represents 34 grain users, issued a tender tomorrow to import 92,000 tons of U.S. wheat after it failed to buy grain on Aug. 21.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it bought 30,000 tons of Canadian durum wheat today in a tender under the so-called simultaneous buy and sell system, introduced to loosen government controls over imports.

Grain-growing regions in Australia, the world's third- largest wheat and canola exporter, may have warmer-than-average temperatures in spring, potentially crimping crop development.

There's a 60 percent to 75 percent chance of higher-than- average minimum temperatures from September to November, the bureau of meteorology said on its Web site today.

``There's a shortage of the grain worldwide,'' Pramod Kumar, executive director of Sunil Agro Foods Ltd., said by phone from Bangalore. ``Indian imports will fuel the wheat market globally.''

Record Price

State Trading Corp., run by the government, bought 511,000 tons from Cargill Inc., Toepfer International and Riaz Trading for a record $317 a ton to $330 a ton on July 10 to ensure sufficient supplies and curb inflation.

India may receive offers of $375 to $400 a ton in the new tender, Sunil Agro's Kumar said.

State Trading Corp. is seeking wheat in bulk carriers or containers at eight Indian ports including Mumbai, Kandla, Mundra, Chennai and Tuticorin. Suppliers are required to quote prices on the basis of the port and month of delivery.

India was the world's third-biggest wheat importer in the year ended June 1, with purchases of 6.7 million tons, according to the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service.

China's shoes exports expand in first half

China, the world's largest shoes producer and exporter, saw a 17.5 percent rise in the value of its shoes exports in the first half of 2007, but prices per pair were lower than that for the previous year.

In the January-June period, China exported 4.4 billion pairs of shoes, worth $12 billion, said Wang Hanjiang, president of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Light Industrial Products, Arts and Crafts.

The shoes were priced at an average of $2.7 per pair, down from $2.8 for the whole of 2006 when China sold 7.8 billion pairs of shoes abroad.

Two billion of them, worth $7.6 billion, were sold to the United States, the largest importer of Chinese-made shoes, at an average price less than a third of that of made-in-Italy shoes, said Wang.

Despite rapid development of China's shoemaking industry, most local manufacturers were small, exporting low-end products and earning low profits, said Wang.

iPhone sparks counter measures from Verizon, RealNetworks and MTV

Whenever a single monolithic company has launched against the globe spanning iTunes, Apple has been able to move the goalposts and push further and further towards a monopolistic market share of online music, but this week a genuine challenge has emerged, one that we are certain will dent the success of Apple, and we suspect that it will be reflected in the company’s share price before too long.

The move, to bring RealNetwork’s Rhapsody to Verizon handsets, with the support of Viacom’s MTV, was attributable almost entirely to Apple’s launch of the iPhone with an exclusive relationship with AT&T. In short Verizon HAD to do something, and this is that something. Rhapsody becomes the music service behind Verizon’s VCast Music service, while MTV’s URGE music service will be merged into Rhapsody, which will become Rhapsody America, and be run by the current General Manager of MTV Network's URGE, Michael Bloom.

Existing user names for URGE will work straight off in Rhapsody. Viacom’s MTV Networks will put in some of its own cash, but also back a $230 million five year note for the venture, giving it a 49% stake, and leaving RealNetworks which will also contribute some cash, with 51%.

It’s a fairly compelling picture and is the first major step towards consolidation of online and cellular music services which will polarize the world. When kids watch MTV they will be pointed towards it, when people subscribe to cellular handsets through Verizon they will be reminded of it, and it drops ARPU right into the palm of the hands of Verizon Wireless.

The simple truth is that we all predicted that Apple iTunes would be eaten alive by little bites from the cellular industry, over a long period of time, and Apple with its typical foresight said let’s take the game to them and launched its own phone on its own terms. But that just meant that serious players are now taking Apple more seriously, sooner, and there are multiple advantages here that are not initially obvious.

First off this pitches Apple’s MP3 and Flash memory enemies, Samsung and LG Electronics, which make many of the first line Verizon handsets, directly against Apple. Samsung is probably the only company in the world that can get its hands on flash memory to store songs more cheaply than even Apple, which two years ago bought up around 30% of global NAND Flash production for its iPods.

Verizon Wireless has no love of Apple and is still smarting after it had to pay Broadcom through the nose to import handsets for its new EV DO rev A network which will also do the job of competing head on with the touchscreen interface of the iPhone. This was because of an indiscretion by supplier Qualcomm, which the court believes used power saving patents that belonged to Broadcom. Verizon will now do whatever it has to, to make these new devices successful.

Secondly Verizon will deliver all of this on handsets which are CDMA enabled, so instead of the waning powers of GSM, the technology that Apple aimed its first iPhone at, Verizon will have the latest, hottest phones from the CDMA community to deliver the service on. Apple is already up against the subscription based Rhapsody service through RealNetworks’ partners, including Best Buy, SanDisk and TiVo. SanDisk is the second biggest retailer of MP3 players in the US, and they could all become further integrated into the service and the new brand.

But with news services around Europe all pre-announcing new Apple partners this week, which include T-Mobile in Germany, Orange in France and O2 in the UK, it is pretty clear that 45 per cent owner of Verizon Wireless, Vodafone is NOT among them.

My friend's enemy
We had always thought that Vodafone would not align itself with the enemies of Verizon, and that also it likes to cut profitable and easy to work deals, and would not accept the kind of terms that Apple was rumored to be insisting upon. There will be some immediate betting that the 232 million customers that use Vodafone's service, the largest outside of China, could be tempted to become part of this "get iPhone" initiative.

Back in January 2006 Vodafone, launched its own interactive music service in conjunction with Sony NetServices called Vodafone Radio DJ. The service streams music to both 3G mobile phones and PCs for a flat monthly subscription, identical as a business model to Rhapsody. But the service is really a radio service with little control over what you listen to.

So Vodafone may well come to believe that the new US initiative could seriously damage the iPhone, and iTunes, and then it might shutter this service or add to it and join the push to build Rhapsody America into perhaps Rhapsody Global, assuming that it can sign overseas versions of its content deals. But even if Vodafone does not come on board, the global distribution of MTV, which can recommend the service, will have huge appeal to other operators, because MTV Networks operates on 135 television networks, and can be seen from 171 websites and reaches 496 million people around the world.

With that kind of support, this deal can internationalize to the benefit of all the partners. This pretty much leaves online and cellular music controlled by a handful of services lead by iTunes. Musicnet powers many of the smaller music services around the world including many that are Microsoft compatible such as the Zune device and can work with its new PlayReady DRM system.

But Musicnet will have lost at least one customer since until now it numbers MTV’s URGE among its clients; Nokia can still provide several millions songs through its purchase of Loudeye over a year ago, and Sony’s Connect collection is still operating, such as through Vodafone. If I’ve forgotten anybody, it's because they are, as of now, forgettable and that perhaps includes Wal-Mart, Amazon, eMusic and Napster, because without the support of a cellular operator, most services are doomed, if not to closure, then to irrelevance, over time.

Finally there is the issue of video. Verizon is just one customer for MediaFLO mobile TV, and it has launched in some markets already under the VCast TV brand. It already had a VCast cellular streaming business that is relatively successful. This will now line up against Apple iTunes on a Video iPod as a source of portable video, but can increasingly target deals with MTV and its parent Viacom, majority owner of the Paramount studio.

The cellular music war in the US is sure to spill over into the rest of the world during the remainder of this year, and that can only mean one thing, that the Apple franchise will begin to erode in percentage terms, but that the market for music on handsets will go through the roof over the coming 18 months to two years.

Tasteless import

Directed by Steve Bendelack. Stars Rowan Atkinson, Emma de Caunes. Opens Friday at theaters throughout New Jersey.


For a silly kids movie about an accident-prone man on a trip to the beach, "Mr. Bean's Holiday" is actually quite mean-spirited and pretentious.

There are laughs for kids as the title character (Rowan Atkinson) has a variety of misadventures in transit from Britain to southern France, but the picture also has an off-putting insider vibe, setting its closing scene at the Cannes Film Festival.

The hero crashes the event and plays pranks on an arthouse director (Willem Dafoe) who's premiering a ponderous movie to yawns from the crowd. The film within a film seems to be a parody of Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny," a misunderstood road movie that was booed when it screened at Cannes four years ago. The reference is pretty obscure given the preschool demographic.

The film pokes unfair fun at Gallo's work when it has its own questionable segments. During one particularly long, misguided set piece, the protagonist wanders onto a World War II film set where a faux French village is being attacked by German soldiers. Mr. Bean is put into costume as an extra and performs a mock goosestep march. It's always nice to see children's movies with Nazi jokes.

A belated follow-up to 1997's "Bean," the film contains distasteful scenes that make you feel guilty for laughing at the amusing ones. Highlights include a roadside outhouse mishap, a crisis involving a coffee-splashed laptop and an adventurous lunch of cold shellfish at a snooty restaurant. Yes, those are the highights.

Director Steve Bendelack, who has a lengthy résumé of Britcom credits, stages unfortunate incidents on French trains and highways. Occasionally, Mr. Bean is the victim of circumstance. Most of the time, however, he drags innocent bystanders down into his world of disorder. At one point, he unwittingly prompts a suicidal man to jump to his death from a bridge. Good times.

The journey begins when Bean wins a Cannes vacation and a digital camcorder in a raffle. En route, he loses everything, tickets, luggage and travel documents, but finds a few new friends. He teams up with a mischievous Russian boy (Max Baldry) separated from his father (Karel Roden), who's heading to Cannes to serve on the judging panel. Bean also inexplicably charms a beautiful actress (Emma de Caunes) on the road to the film fest for the premiere of her latest picture, "Playback Time" from an American auteur named Carson Clay (Dafoe).

Along the way, the hero captures his vacation on a camcorder and winds up accidentally creating a hit movie at the festival. Although "Mr. Bean's Holiday" takes a few swipes at Euro snobs, ultimately the most ridiculous character is the arrogant American. It's no surprise the comedy is already an international hit.