Academic literature on the topic 'Food industry and trade – Government policy'

Tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods are key contributors to non-communicable diseases globally. Public health advocates have been proactive in recent years, developing systems to monitor and mitigate both health harms and influence by these industries. However, establishing and implementating strong government regulation of these unhealthy product-producing industries remains challenging. The relevant regulatory instruments lie not only with ministries of health but with agriculture, finance, industry and trade, largely driven by economic concerns. These policy sectors are often unreceptive to public health imperatives for restrictions on industry, including policies regarding labelling, marketing and excise taxes. Heavily influenced by traditional economic paradigms, they have been more receptive to industry calls for (unfettered) market competition, the rights of consumers to choose and the need for government to allow industry free rein; at most to establish voluntary standards of consumer protection, and certainly not to directly regulate industry products and practices. In recent years, the status quo of a narrow economic rationality that places economic growth above health, environment or other social goals is being re-evaluated by some governments and key international economic agencies, leading to windows of opportunity with the potential to transform how governments approach food, tobacco and alcohol as major, industry-driven risk factors. To take advantage of this window of opportunity, the public health community must work with different sectors of government to(1) reimagine policy mandates, drawing on whole-of-government imperatives for sustainable development, and (2) closely examine the institutional structures and governance processes, in order to create points of leverage for economic policies that also support improved health outcomes.

In the context of NCD prevention, reformulation means reducing the salt, sugar, fat, or overall calorie content of processed foods. Reformulation has the potential to be a powerful public health intervention, because it involves making changes to unhealthy foods upstream in the food supply: improving population diets without individual consumers needing to change their behaviour. However, questions remain as to which regulatory approaches will be most effective at spurring the food industry to reformulate. The prevailing view has been that governments should persuade and encourage companies to reformulate ‘voluntarily’. However, there is emerging evidence that the most effective voluntary reformulation schemes are those with a high degree of government involvement, monitoring and oversight. This suggests that mandatory reformulation — ie, the highest degree of government involvement, through legislated mandatory nutrient limits — may well be a promising approach. While voluntary reformulation has wide support, it is criticised for being weak, ineffective and open to regulatory capture. Mandatory reformulation offers the possibility of a stronger regulatory approach and a level playing field for industry, but critics are wary of its impact on free choice. Mandatory nutrient limits may also constitute technical barriers to trade. This article considers food reformulation as a policy goal, before exploring these regulatory options and the criticisms of each.

The current economic, marketing and policy constraints facing the animal production industry in Canada are examined. An historical review indicates the consequences (sometimes unintended) of economic or policy changes in the past in the areas of land settlement, marketing and grading. Natural factors constraining production such as gestation periods and climate and human factors such as consumption potential both physically and socially are considered. Government policy is identified as a key determinant in the animal production industry and an alternative explanation of the activity of government in the economy is outlined. The effect of economic and policy variables including interest rates, feed prices, economies of scale, productivity gains, trade policy, tax policy, grain and livestock marketing and stabilization on animal production are described. Throughout, the importance of government policy in determining the development of the animal production industry is emphasized. The major areas of tax policy and grain support programs in Western Canada are key determinants of regional livestock production patterns. The future of these policies is uncertain and this uncertainty is a major constraint to animal production in Canada. Uncertainty has always been a major constraint on animal production. Producers have developed mechanisms to deal with market variation, biological factors such as disease, fluctuating interest rates and the whims of the environment. However, a major source of uncertainty has not been addressed: — government policy. In part, this uncertainty is due to the on-again, off-again policies governments have followed. But history indicates it is foolish to believe that all important variables are within the control of government. Policy evolves through a political process that often reflects the interests of special interest groups rather than the long-term interests of producers or consumers. Change occurs slowly, impeded by resistance from those in favored positions within the current system. Policy uncertainty remains as a key variable to be addressed by the livestock industry in Canada. Key words: Animal production, economic constraints, policy constraints, policy uncertainty

International supply chains in the food industry have lengthened in recent years and new sources of risk have arisen. With increased consumers' incomes, perceptions about food safety have become sharper and food safety has become an important issue in public policy both domestically and internationally. The safety of food is a credence characteristic which gives rise to a particular form of market failure involving either asymmetric information and moral hazard or symmetric imperfect information. An example from a recent experience in the UK was used to illustrate the issue of moral hazard, as well as the possible responses to it. A partial equilibrium model of an open economy was developed to investigate how the moral hazard problem that is caused for importing firms by the actions of exporting firms could be solved by the market rather than by government intervention.

In modern conditions of the world economy’s transformation, which caused significant changes in the foreign trade market environment, the current issue is the modernization of the agrifood policy of Russia to provide the national economy with the agricultural products of its own production, in particular with soybean. By increasing the means of state support and by overcoming structural problems, the soybean industry can become both a powerful driver of domestic economic growth and a key factor in the development of the world food markets in terms of Russia’s focus on the global competitiveness of domestic products.

The problem on food security in Indonesia began to be interested since the economic crisis as one component of the social security net. Sustainable food security covers: availability of food, accessibility, utilization, stability, self reliance (autonomy) and sustainability. . Hirarchically food security can be at global order, regional, national, local, household and individual. The higher order offbod security is a necessary condition but not sufficient condition for the lower order.Economic theory indicate that there are gains to be made from free trade. increase the efficiency ufresource allocation, and increase welfare of all countries. However, all government, without exception, intervene to varying degrees in the working of natural market prces, with the reason the need to protect infant industry, to ensure food security, to redistribute income, and to enhance income of small producers.The liberalization initiatives culminated in UR agreement and WTO, among others, dismantling of quantitative restriction and subsidies as well as other nontariff barriers, but there were several new thing of antidumping tariff, sanitary and phytosanitary, technical barrier to trade,environment, and genetically modified organism.The impact of trade liberalization on exporter countries, in general, would benefit the producers, decrease the consumer surplus, and increase social welfare except large populated as India and China. The impact of importer countries depend on the policy of each country. Malaysia and Indonesia by decreasing import tariff policy would increase consumer surplus and social welfare but sacrificing the producers/farmers.National food policies consist of international trade policy domestic price policy, and policy on production efficiency. The international trade policy means to protect producers, consumers, and social welfare from the uncertainty of international market especially in the long run. The stabilization of domestic price policy needs inter department coordination and STE to implement. Protection could result inefficiency but it is needed for commodities those are not ready to compete and to protect from unfair trade, to protect farmers and long run food security.

AbstractObjective:To explore the formal and informal ways in which different actors involved in shaping trade agreements pursue their interests and understand the interactions with nutrition, in order to improve coherence between trade and nutrition policy goals.Design:The paper draws on empirical evidence from Australian key informant interviews that explore the underlying political dimensions of trade agreements that act as barriers or facilitators to getting nutrition objectives on trade agendas.Setting:Countries experiencing greater availability and access to diets full of energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods through increased imports, greater foreign direct investment and increasing constraints on national health policy space as a result of trade agreements.Participants:Interviews took place with Australian government officials, industry, public-interest non-government organizations and academics.Results:The analysis reveals the formal and informal mechanisms and structures that different policy actors use both inside and outside trade negotiations to pursue their interests. The analysis also identifies the discourses used by the different actors, as they attempt to influence trade agreements in ways that support or undermine nutrition-related goals.Conclusions:Moving forward requires policy makers, researchers and health advocates to use various strategies including: reframing the role of trade agreements to include health outcomes; reforming the process to allow greater access and voice to health arguments and stakeholders; establishing cross-government partners through accountable committees; and building circles of consensus and coalitions of sympathetic public-interest actors.

Trans fatty acids (TFAs) have no known health benefits and are linked to an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). To eliminate TFAs from the food supply, the government of Thailand imposed a ban on partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) in 2018. This study was aimed at analyzing the government policies and actions to eliminate TFAs in Thailand, focusing on policy content, context, process, and actors. This single-case qualitative study used a documentary review and interviews with 20 key policy actors. The data analysis was guided by thematic analysis based on the policy triangle framework. The results reveal that policy actors—government organizations, academics, civil society organizations, and the food industry—have different roles, interests, and influences with regard to eliminating TFAs in Thailand. Both formal and informal communication among policy actors aided in the policymaking process and the actions that followed. Changing perceptions of TFAs, the low intake of PHOs in Thailand, hype around trans fats, and trade dynamics shaped the government’s decision to impose the ban. As a result, the ban was selected to avoid the technical components of TFA elimination. This study suggests that eliminating TFAs in Thailand could be further enhanced by strengthening government actions in terms of enforcement and creating consumer awareness.

AbstractObjectiveIn the present study, we used a structured approach based on publicly available information to identify the corporate political activity (CPA) strategies of three major actors in the dairy industry in France.DesignWe collected publicly available information from the industry, government and other sources over a 6-month period, from March to August 2015. Data collection and analysis were informed by an existing framework for classifying the CPA of the food industry.Setting/SubjectsOur study included three major actors in the dairy industry in France: Danone, Lactalis and the Centre National Interprofessionnel de l’Economie Laitière (CNIEL), a trade association.ResultsDuring the period of data collection, the dairy industry employed CPA practices on numerous occasions by using three strategies: the ‘information and messaging’, the ‘constituency building’ and the ‘policy substitution’ strategies. The most common practice was the shaping of evidence in ways that suited the industry. The industry also sought involvement in the community, establishing relationships with public health professionals, academics and the government.ConclusionsOur study shows that the dairy industry used several CPA practices, even during periods when there was no specific policy debate on the role of dairy products in dietary guidelines. The information provided here could inform public health advocates and policy makers and help them ensure that commercial interests of industry do not impede public health policies and programmes.

Many believe the current Canadian Dairy supply management system is outdated. Examining a recent consumer survey suggests consumers, especially among the younger generations, have mixed feelings about how the Canadian dairy industry is good for the environment or whether animals in the sector are humanely treated. The general Canadian public strongly supports financial stability for farmers, though is not fully educated about how supply management works. Issues regarding the centralization and amalgamation of the industry, making many regions underserved; recent milk dumping due to a strong shift in demand caused by COVID-19; and the popularity of dairy alternatives, show that the dairy sector in Canada is ill-prepared for major change. Dairy farmers are receiving compensation for trade deals recently ratified by the federal government, creating a precedent that will lead to an overcapitalized industry. The aim of this paper is to review the industry’s current state and suggest a roadmap for a more prosperous future.

This study applies Destler's institutional counterweights to Putnam's two-level analysis, substituting Liberal Institutionalism and Realism for internationalism and isolationism, in a comparative case study of the roles played by the U.S. and the EC in multilateral trade negotiations in agriculture under the aegis of the General Agreement for Tariffs and Trade during the first half of the Uruguay Round. Using game theory as an analytical tool in the process, this present study demonstrates that a clear pattern emerges in which stages of cooperation and deadlock can be easily anticipated in games of Chicken and Prisoners' Dilemma in accordance with various but predictable levels of institutional influence.

This research analysed four main themes – role of government, globalisation, foreign direct investment (FDI), and industrial clusters in the context of Chinese automobile industry. The aim was to explore how these four elements were brought together to achieve industrial development and modernisation in the Chinese automobile industry since 1949. In particular, the globalisation process, speedily driven by the world economy, has been shaping the automobile industry in a profound way. With this mega trend, China was able to initiate a set of policies undertaken by the government to develop its own automobile industry in several regional clusters across the country, which in turn hastened the progress of modernisation. Moreover, FDI has been critical for remaking a once backward automobile industry into one that has large-scale assembly capacity, comprehensive local supply networks, and a new generation of indigenous car brands and models. The overall methods adopted for this research are semi-structured face to face interviews and case studies. In order to accomplish the research aim, 11 interviews have been carried out with key personnel drawn from the Chinese automobile industry. Participants have been chosen because of their expertise on this topic. In addition, three case studies were developed on the performance of three different types of firms operating in China: private (Geely), state-owned (Chery), and joint venture (Beijing Hyundai). Three cases were analysed in-depth in order to gain a rich understanding of the context of operation in the Chinese automobile industry. The key conclusions are both the role of government and FDI by multinational firms have been crucial to the development of the automobile industry in China and will be so for many years to come.

The automotive industry in South Africa exists in its current state due to the developmental programmes created by the South African government. During the next three years the government’s main development policy for the automotive industry will change from the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) to the Automotive Production and Development Programme (APDP). As a result of this change there were feelings of uncertainty experienced across the domestic automotive industry during the APDP’s design and the period leading up to its launch, more or less years 2008 to 2010. Also present is the fear that the industry would collapse when faced with global competition should this change not fully comprehend all aspects of South Africa’s automotive industry. The research problem addressed in this study was to determine the effect on the sector’s competiveness in light of the impending change in governmental development programmes. This was accurately explained and expressed clearly while sub problems were identified from areas in the main problem that required further analysis due to their criticality or lack of clarity. A comprehensive literature review was executed to understand the nature and extent of the South African automotive industry, the Motor Industry Development Programme and the Automotive Production and Development Programme. A primary research instrument was constructed, in the form of a questionnaire, to test specific themes exposed during the literature review which can influence the sector’s competitive advantage. This questionnaire was distributed with the assistance of industry representative bodies NAAMSA (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, the domestic de facto representative body) and NAACAM (National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers, a component manufacturers’ representative body), to an even spread of respondents representative of the senior management and executives of automotive companies in South Africa. From the results obtained from the sample group, it seemed that there was consensus on many issues regarding the current structure of the South African automotive industry. Specifically, the profitability of vehicle assemblers and component manufacturers is heavily iii influenced by the incentives offered under the MIDP and the industry is not viable without them. The respondents were virtually unanimous in indicating that there is a need for some form of incentive programme and were positive about the effect the MIDP has had thus far on the automotive industry of South Africa, particularly the effect on the structure, focus and encouraging a reduction in complexity. The research found that it is common practice for OEMs to include the import duty on vehicles imported for domestic consumption even though this duty will be paid with the use of import-duty rebate credit certificates (IRCCs), which are provided to those vehicle assemblers who are net exporters of vehicles. Looking to the future, it emerged that the APDP will have a similar, positive effect on the domestic automotive industry when compared to the MIDP, but the effect will be experienced in a more aggressive manner. Companies will be encouraged by the new development programme to more aggressively improve aspects such as restructuring, rationalising, reducing model proliferation and improving low scale economies for example. Also the APDP will encourage OEMs to increase plant production volumes and ensure that reasonable scale economies are present to develop a domestic component supply industry to a degree. However, the volumes will be insufficient to create a world-class supplier industry. As a result automotive companies will have to be more aggressive in their adoption of more automated production processes and through Automotive Investment Scheme capital investment will increase in both vehicle assemblers and component manufacturers. Component manufacturers indicated that they would invest more in the coming years under the APDP than previously while vehicle assemblers indicated that their investment levels will remain as before. While this is good for the industry, labour is somewhat left out of this: considering the APDP’s focus on increased volumes and capital investments automotive companies are not incentivised to make use of labour-absorbing production processes. The study also found that there is still a need for tariff protection and that the domestic industry would collapse in the face of global competition. The research found that the APDP was compliant with South Africa’s commitments to the World Trade Organisation. Finally, the Department of Trade and Industry’s goal of producing 1.2 million vehicles per annum by 2020 was revealed to be unrealistic and unreachable.

Uniquely, Northern Ireland is distinctive within the UK in having power sharing arrangements between the parties. The parties within this system must confront the particular problems posed by Brexit: that Northern Ireland would be the only part of the UK with a land border with the EU, and that there are serious implications for cross border travel and trade, the large 'agri-food' industry and existing EU support for socio-economic improvement and the peace process. Underpinning the difficulties are fundamental policy cleavages between the two largest parties constituting the Northern Ireland Executive: the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is in favour of leave, and Sinn Fein, which is in favour of remain. This chapter explains the implications for the Brexit negotiations, and examines the consequences of this deep division in the lack of a consensus in Northern Ireland on Brexit issues, total lack of agreement on government departments or Assembly committees publishing reports and little response to the fears of civic society about the consequences of Brexit.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and other economic sectors included in the tourism value chain in Croatia. The evaluation of total effects is important in order to evaluate effectiveness of policy measures introduced by Croatian government. Methodology – The estimation of COVID -19 effects on Croatian economy is based on standard input-output model. The open I-O model quantifies indirect effects generated in the tourism value added chain. Closed I-O model estimates induced effects related to the decrease in the net disposable income of the employees which participated in the tourism sector production chain. Findings – Strong reduction in international tourism caused by COVID -19 resulted in significant decrease in activity of many other industries. Besides hotels and restaurant, the most affected sectors were transport, trade, food industry, sports and entertainment services. Total value of indirect and induced tourism effects is bigger than value of direct effects in terms of employment and value added because of multiplier effect. Government subsidies in the form of income support for companies which retained employees have only short-term and limited effects. Negative COVID -19 effects were partially mitigated by output rise in other domestic sectors. GDP decline was more pronounced than GVA since indirect taxes, notably VAT and excise duties were particularly sensitive to negative trends in tourism activity. Contribution – The methodology applied provides the reliable analytical background for analyses of impact of negative exogenous shock affecting tourism and total Croatian economy and assessment of government policy response effectiveness

ANSI/NCSL Z540.3-2006 and ISO/IEC 17025:2005 are voluntary consensus standards which prescribe requirements for the calibration of measuring and test equipment and for the technical competency of the performing laboratories. Many agencies in the U.S. which are part of, or regulated by, the Federal Government are required to use instruments which have been calibrated in accordance with one or both of these standards. The National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (NTTAA) of 1995 compels all federal agencies to use technical standards that are developed by consensus standards bodies, in lieu of "government-unique" standards. ISO 17025 and ANSI Z540.3 have evolved over a half-century of metrological advancement, drawing upon expertise in the public and private sector. They are now supported by a mature infrastructure that facilitates mutual recognition and global trade, ensuring calibrations are accepted worldwide. However, some federal agencies and regulatory bodies in the U.S. have not yet adopted these standards. Calibrations are routinely performed on instruments, utilized in some government-regulated industries, which may not conform to these requirements. This paper discusses risks imparted to products and services produced in such environments. Particular focus is given to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulation of calibration requirements in the Quality System Regulation (QSR) found in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Currently, a paucity of official guidance exists with respect to what constitutes an acceptable calibration program in medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Ambiguities persist due to lack of agreement upon voluntary consensus standards such as ISO 17025 and ANSI Z540.3. Fundamental requirements such as traceability, measurement uncertainty, measurement decision-rules, as well as basic metrological definitions are ill-defined in the CFR. The objective of this paper is to provide relevant background information and to encourage constructive dialogue between government agencies, standards writing committees, industry partners, and third party assessment/accreditation bodies. Cooperation of this type is consistent with public law and White House policy objectives. Ultimately, such dialogue may foster agreement on the use of these voluntary consensus standards for calibration in regulated industries, resulting in improved quality and reduced risk to consumers and patients.

<p>Construction serves the needs of society with infrastructure that provides safe and healthy places in which to live, work, learn and play, with transport that serves trade and leisure, and with industries that drive our economic prosperity. Yet in serving important societal needs, construction has also been a major contributor to the degradation of the planet’s natural resources and acceleration of climate change. These harmful impacts are now threatening human prosperity and safety. The Henderson Colloquium, organised by IABSE UK in September 2020, asked key players across multiple sectors of the construction industry this question: How can the construction industry serve the future needs of a society threatened by climate change? The discussions revealed the need for deep-seated change across all elements of the industry including our business models, our professional institutions, education, and government policy. These outcomes are being shared in this paper to stimulate thinking in a wider, international forum of construction professionals.</p>

According to estimates and analyses by the international community of economic analysts, the medical crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic will induce a major economic and financial crisis worldwide which, in conjunction with the current geopolitical situation, characterized by a high degree of uncertainty (e.g. strategic economic confrontation between the US and China, the position of force adopted by the Russian Federation), will affect production and supply chains, amplify the phenomenon of the adoption of trade policies of a protectionist nature, and, indirectly, will significantly affect national defense budgets. In this fluid geopolitical context, characterized by insecurity and systemic instability, a strategic rethink and recalibration of defence policies can be predicted in a new context, defined by the multipolar competition and the asymmetry of geopolitical geometry, the conflict between civilizational models (competition between democracy vs. autocratic/totalitarian political regimes), to the detriment of regional and international collective security arrangements. Changing government priorities generated by the pandemic crisis generated by Covid-19 may lead to a reduction in budgets for military endowment programs. Most governments allocate about 2% of GDP annually to the defence sector. Given the pandemic generated by Covid-19, there is a risk that some states will significantly reduce the budget allocated to the defence industry in order to increase the budgets for health systems, given the need to expand hospitals, as well as the purchase of medical equipment and services. In Romania, the topic of tools and opportunities that may be able to ensure the improvement of the effects and overcoming the economic crisis is currently being discussed through active economic measures, including in the field of the defence industry. In Romania, however, the path from debate to public policy and strategy assumed and applied is traditionally long and hard, requiring more pragmatism in addressing strategic economic issues.

The corona virus pandemic has imperilled tourist destinations around the world, completely disrupting all types of traffic and border traffic. The global corona virus pandemic has brought with it major changes in trade, industry, agriculture and transportation. The negative effect of the pandemic on agriculture is reflected in the loss of the market. Tourism and catering are affected first, as arrangements are canceled and people go out to restaurants less. The next important branch that got affected is industry due to supply chain disruption. Economic activity has pretty much stalled in many sectors, and yet agriculture and food production are mentioned as saviors of national economies. The maxim is known as "there is no stable state without a consistent agrarian policy and a developed agricultural sector". Tourism is an important activity that is seriously counted on in the municipality of Kučevo. The festival of original folk art "Homoljski motivi" is organized in the municipality, moreover, at the territory of the municipality we can find the gold-bearing river Pek and the attractive caves Ceremošnja and Ravništarka. They are tourist content by which the municipality of Kučevo has long been recognizable. The absence of tourist activity on the territory of the municipality of Kučevo affected the reduction of the tourist offer, such as the preparation of traditional food using local products, which all has a negative impact on agricultural production, primarily livestock products.

The JSME (Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers) published the rules on design and construction for nuclear power plants in 2001. The basic concept of this rule originates in the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Section III, however, some articles in the JSME rules are modified from the ASME rules depending on the Japanese own investigations and thoughts. This paper presents the outline of the JSME rules and discussed the comparison between the JSME rules and the ASME rules. In Japan, rules for the design and construction for nuclear power plants had been used in the Japanese regulatory standards known as Notification 501 of MITI (Ministry of international Trade and Industry) for over 30 years. And the JSME code is also based on the Notification 501. Recently the Japanese regulatory authority had announced new policy to adapt non-government voluntary rules for the design and construction taking advantage of reflecting new technology and the code revision quickly. And, in November 2003, the new JSME rules are endorsed by the Japanese regulatory authorities as alternate rules of the Notification 501.

The global crisis which started in September 2008 adversely affected many global economies and also Kyrgyzstan economy. Kyrgyzstan economy which declined and experienced a severe recession in 2009 due to the crisis started recovering from the adverse effects of the crisis after 2010. What lie beneath this positive development is increased foreign exchange revenues abroad and vigor experienced in construction industry and industrial production. The recovery experienced in economies of Russia and neighbor Kazakhstan resulted in increased exports and thus increased revenues in foreign currencies obtained from foreign countries. The political disturbances experienced in Bishkek in April 2011 and ethnic conflicts experienced in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2011, created an adverse effect on the economy. The crisis resulted in degradation of investment environment, adversely influenced the foreign investments and increased the current account deficit. These developments adversely influenced the banking sector too. The government attempted to diminish effects of the crisis through financial incentives. The budget deficit emerged as a result of crisis was attempted to be closed through support secured from International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank lent great support to invigorating Kyrgyzstan economy after events of April and July. According to IMF, if political instability goes on in Kyrgyzstan in medium and long term, economic problems shall continue. Uncertainties in banking sector are amongst the main factors which increase the economic risks. Recovery of Kyrgyzstan economy is dependent on medium term financial policy measures to be applied to the economy and balancing the foreign trade.

The Human Readiness Level (HRL) Scale is a simple 9-level scale for evaluating, tracking, and communicating the readiness of a technology for safe and effective human use. It is modeled after the well-established Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework that is used throughout the government and industry to communicate the maturity of a technology and to support decision making about technology acquisition. The TRL framework, however, does not consider the technology’s readiness for human use. As human error is implicated in 60-90% of incidents and accidents across a range of domains, it is critical to consider a technology’s human readiness alongside its technological maturity. The HRL scale was developed to address this need and to complement and supplement the TRL. In 2019, Drs. See (Sandia National Laboratories) and Handley (HFES Science Policy Fellow; Old Dominion University) formed a working group of practitioners across DoD, industry, and academia to mature the HRL concept; evaluate its usability, reliability, and validity; and develop a standard. The resulting ANSI/HFES 400-2021 Standard defines the HRL scale and provides guidance on how to apply them within a system development process. The standard provides questions to guide evaluation activities, with exit criteria and examples of the supporting evidence required to progress from one level to the next. The HRLs map on to three phases of the development process: Basic Research and Development (HRL 1-3), Technology Demonstrations (HRL 4-6), and Full-Scale Testing, Production, and Deployment (HRL 7-9):HRL 1: Basic principles for human characteristics, performance, and behavior observed and reportedHRL 2: Human-centered concepts, applications, and guidelines definedHRL 3: Human-centered requirements to support human performance and human-technology interactions establishedHRL 4: Modeling, part-task testing, and trade studies of human systems design concepts and applications completedHRL 5: Human-centered evaluation of prototypes in mission relevant part-task simulations completed to inform designHRL 6: Human systems design fully matured and demonstrated in a relevant high-fidelity, simulated environment or actual environmentHRL 7: Human systems design fully tested and verified in operational environment with system hardware and software and representative usersHRL 8: Human systems design fully tested, verified, and approved in mission operations, using completed system hardware and software and representative usersHRL 9: System successfully used in operations across the operational envelope with systematic monitoring of human system performance The proposed presentation is part of an HFES initiative to socialize HRLs within the government, industry, and academia. The presentation will provide concrete examples drawn from the transportation sector to illustrate how HRLs can be applied throughout a human systems integration process.ReferencesHFES/ANSI (2021). Human Readiness Level Scale in the System Development Process (ANSI/HFES 400-2021). Retrieved from https://www.hfes.org/publications/technical-standardsSalazar, G., See, J. E., Handley, H. A., & Craft, R. (2020, December). Understanding human readiness levels. In Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (Vol. 64, No. 1, pp. 1765-1769). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.See, J. E. (2021). Human Readiness Levels Explained. Ergonomics in Design, 10648046211017410.

This paper provides an overview of the current status of radioactive waste management in the UK from the point of view of Nirex, the organisation responsible for providing safe, environmentally sound and publicly acceptable options for the long-term management of radioactive materials. Essentially, it argues that: • the waste exists and must be dealt with in an ethical manner; • legitimacy is the key to public acceptance of any attempt to solve the waste issue; and • credible options and a new political will allow, and indeed, compel this generation to deal with it. In doing this, the paper takes account of a number of recent announcements and ongoing developments in the UK nuclear industry, in particular: • the recent announcement that Nirex is to be made independent of industry; • the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Devolved Administrations’ Managing Radioactive Waste Safely consultation exercise; • the creation of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management to oversee the consultation; • the creation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to manage the civil nuclear site clean-up programme; • proposals for improved regulation of Intermediate Level Waste conditioning and packaging; and • proposals by the European Commission for a new radioactive waste Directive. These institutional and policy changes amount to an evolution of the back-end of the fuel cycle that represents the most radical transformation in the UK nuclear industry for many years. In a large part, this is a transformation made necessary by past failures in trying to impose a solution on the general public. Therefore, in order for these changes to result in a successful long-term radioactive waste management programme, it is necessary to pay as much attention to political and social concerns as scientific and technical ones. Primarily it is crucial that all parties involved act in an open and transparent manner so that the decisions made achieve a high degree of legitimacy and thus public acceptance. Crucially too, the problem must be framed in the correct term — that the waste exists irrespective of the future of nuclear power and that this is an issue that must be addressed now. Thus there is a legitimacy of purpose and scope in moving forward that addresses the ethical imperative of this generation dealing with the waste. Put together with the action the government is taking to create the necessary institutional framework, Nirex believes that for the first time in a generation the UK has the building blocks in place to find a publicly acceptable, long-term solution for radioactive waste.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to the loss of human life and resulted in an unprecedented challenge to public health, but has also seriously affected food systems and work opportunities. As a global pandemic, COVID-19 has impacted food systems and livelihoods as a result of both economic and health challenges that emanate from domestic public policy measures, and also actions taken by other countries, mainly in the form of trade restrictions. Following the confirmation of the first COVID-19 case in Ethiopia on 13 March 2020, and concerns about the sharp increase in cases, the federal government declared a state of emergency on 8 April 2020 which lasted for five months. This paper presents the assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and its prevention measures on agricultural commercialisation, food and nutrition security, labour and employment, as well as poverty and well-being in rural Ethiopia.

Original proposal objectives: Our main original goal was to develop ultra-fast methods and instrumentation for the analysis of hazardous chemicals in the food supply. We proposed to extend the QuEChERS approach to veterinary drugs and other contaminants, and conduct fast and ultra-fast analyses using novel 5MB-MS instrumentation, ideally with real samples. Background to the topic: The international trade of agricultural food products is a $1.2 trill ion annual market and growing. Food safety is essential to human health, and chemical residue limits are legislated nationally and internationally. Analytical testing for residues is needed to conduct risk assessments and regulatory enforcement actions to ensure food safety and environmental health, among other important needs. Current monitoring methods are better than ever, but they are still too time-consuming, laborious, and expensive to meet the broad food testing needs of consumers, government, and industry. As a result, costs are high and only a tiny fraction of the food is tested for a limited number of contaminants. We need affordable, ultra-fast methods that attain high quality results for a wide range of chemicals. Major conclusions, solutions and achievements: This is the third BARD grant shared between Prof. Amirav and Dr. Lehotay since 2000, and continual analytical improvements have been made in terms of speed, sample throughput, chemical scope, ease-of-use, and quality of results with respect to qualitative (screening and identification) and quantitative factors. The QuEChERS sample preparation approach, which was developed in conjunction with the BARD grant in 2002, has grown to currently become the most common pesticide residue method in the world. BARD funding has been instrumental to help Dr. Lehotay make refinements and expand QuEChERS concepts to additional applications, which has led to the commercialization of QuEChERS products by more than 20 companies worldwide. During the past 3 years, QuEChERS has been applied to multiclass, multiresidue analysis of veterinary drug residues in food animals, and it has been validated and implemented by USDA-FSIS. QuEChERS was also modified and validated for faster, easier, and better analysis of traditional and emerging environmental contaminants in food. Meanwhile, Prof. Amirav has commercialized the GC-MS with 5MB technology and other independent inventions, including the ChromatoProbe with Agilent, Bruker, and FUR Systems. A new method was developed for obtaining truly universal pesticide analysis, based on the use of GC-MS with 5MB. This method and instrument enables faster analysis with lower LaDs for extended range of pesticides and hazardous compounds. A new approach and device of Open Probe Fast GC-MS with 5MB was also developed that enable real time screening of limited number of target pesticides. Implications, both scientific and agricultural: We succeeded in achieving significant improvements in the analysis of hazardous chemicals in the food supply, from easy sample preparation approaches, through sample analysis by advanced new types of GC-MS and LCMS techniques, all the way to improved data analysis by lowering LaD and providing greater confidence in chemical identification. As a result, the combination of the QuEChERS approach, new and superior instrumentation, and the novel monitoring methods that were developed will enable vastly reduced time and cost of analysis, increased analytical scope. and a higher monitoring rate. This provides better enforcement, an added impetus for farmers to use good agricultural practices, improved food safety and security, increased trade. and greater consumer confidence in the food supply.

The UK has a legal commitment to reach net zero carbon (NZC) emissions by 2050. This is a topic that has recently been building momentum, with clean growth being one of the four Grand Challenges set out by the UK Government. The ways we grow, process and transport food are major contributors to climate change, accounting for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing this will require substantial changes in agriculture, manufacturing, and transport. Consequently, the Science Council and FSA Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) agreed that a deeper understanding of the potential implications of achieving net zero on food systems, together with identification of areas of uncertainty, would be of considerable value to FSA in pre-empting future policy and evidence needs in this area. In early discussions to scope the work required, Defra indicated to the FSA Science Council Secretariat that there are many new developments and changes to activity in primary production aimed at achieving net zero. The Science Council agreed, therefore, to concentrate its first investigations on changes expected in primary food production. Primary production is the production of chemical energy in organic forms by living organisms. The main source of this energy is sunlight. For the purposes of this review, primary food production includes the growing and harvesting of plants as food for humans or feed for animals, and the rearing and slaughter of animals including livestock, fish and a wide variety of aquatic and marine organisms. A Science Council Working Group 6 (WG6) began work in summer 2021, led by Science Council members Mrs Claire Nicholson (WG6 Chair) and Prof Jonathan Wastling (WG6 Deputy Chair). The brief for WG6 is to investigate the potential food safety implications arising from changes to primary food production practices and technologies that reduce carbon emissions in the next 10 years. The work programme (described in this report) covers 4 phases, with phases 1 and 2 now complete. The work so far has drawn diverse, wide-ranging, sometimes slightly conflicting, views and opinions from across academia, the FSA, Defra, industry bodies and individual food producers. This interim report summarises: The work undertaken to date (phases 1 and 2) What has been learnt including changes to practice already underway or imminent Issues arising from the changes that the FSA should be aware of Further work planned by WG6 to understand the nature of the risks in more depth (phases 3 and 4) The Science Council aims to complete its investigations by the end of 2022 and present its findings to the FSA Board as soon as possible afterwards.