GAIN Reports from Thursday, October 29, 2020

The following Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) reports were released on Thursday, October 29, 2020.          Brazil: Brazil Introduces Additional Import Requirements for Apples and Pears   On October 7, 2020, Brazil adopted additional requirements for the import of fresh fruits and materials of plant origin intended for propagation or reproduction into Brazil. Imports will need to have an additional declaration that shipments have been inspected and are free of Neonectria ditissima. This requirement will go into effect on November 3rd, 2020 and will impact all U.S. imports of apples and pears into Brazil. Iceland: Scrapie Identified in Sheep in Iceland Scrapie (a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats) was confirmed in a sheep on the Stóru-Akrar farm (home to 800 sheep) in Skagafjörður, Iceland. Subsequently, the disease was identified on three additional farms: Syðri-Hofdalir and Grænamýri in Blönduhlíð and Hof in Hjaltadal. The government is currently assessing the disease's prevalence but anticipates a significant number of animals will need to be culled. Israel: Growing Food Markets in Israel   Growing food markets in Israel: • Meat substitutes • Fruit shakes Mexico: Mexico Releases Clarifications to NOM-051 Labeling Requirements   On Tuesday October 27 Mexico's Secretariat of Economy released updated "criteria" for imported products to comply with NOM-051-SCFI/SSA1-2010 - General Specifications for Labeling of Prepackaged Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages. The three documents seek to clarify which food and non-alcoholic beverage products must comply with the regulation focusing on inputs not destined to the final consumer, bulk merchandise, and raw materials. Netherlands: HPAI Detected on a Commercial Poultry Farm After previously identifying highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality has confirmed a finding on a commercial poultry farm in Altforst -- about 20 miles south from the main poultry production region in the Netherlands. The birds at this farm will be culled, and transport restrictions are imposed in a radius of roughly six miles around the farm. The Netherlands previously experienced HPAI outbreaks in its commercial flock in 2003, 2014, 2016 and 2017. Spain: Exports Solidify as the Main Outlet for Spanish Cotton Production Post anticipates a fifteen percent decline in Spanish cotton production for MY2020/21. Abundant precipitation in the spring lowered cotton plantings while pest incidence reduced yields. Despite the lower supply, in light of a weaker domestic demand, exports will likely consolidate as the main outlet for the Spanish cotton production.   For more information, or for an archive of all FAS GAIN reports, please visit gain.fas.usda.gov/.     Update your subscriptions, modify your password or email address, or stop subscriptions at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. This service is provided to you at no charge by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. This email was sent to ooseims.archieves@blogger.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service · 1400 Independence Avenue, SW · Washington, DC 20250