EU to suspend Brazilian meat imports from September 3, citing lack of compliance with antimicrobial rules. Other goods like honey and honey are affected too. Really!

Bad news! The EU is more and more becoming a bully! Another attack on global free trade based on strict non-tariff barriers!

What is good for humans is not good for animals? This is outrageous! Antimicrobial resistance is a dubious excuse by the EU!

"...

• The EU had announced ​in May that Brazil was set to be removed ​from a list of compliant countries exporting ⁠certain animal products to the bloc.
• The Commission spokesperson ​told reporters that the EU had not received guarantees ​of Brazil's compliance with the bloc's requirement that antimicrobials not be used for animal growth.
• For poultry and honey, an audit ​of Brazilian production is due to be completed ​at the end of this week, though results will not be ‌available ⁠immediately, the spokesperson said.
• For beef, of which Brazil was the EU's second-largest supplier in 2025, the EU was seeking guarantees covering the whole life cycle ​of animals, the ​spokesperson added.
• The ⁠Commission did not give a timeline for a possible lifting of the ban.
• The ​EU also prohibits giving animals antimicrobials that ​are ⁠used to treat humans, including antibiotics.

..."

EU to suspend Brazilian meat imports from September 3, citing antimicrobial rules | Reuters

EU suspends Brazilian meat imports over antibiotic compliance concerns "The European Union will suspend imports of Brazilian meat and other animal products from Thursday, citing concerns over Brazil’s compliance with EU rules on antibiotic use in livestock. The move affects poultry, beef, eggs and honey, with Brussels offering no timeline for when trade can resume."

Credits: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

China is leading the fight against hidden car door handles by prohibition beginning 2027

Bad news! What is this all about? Some kind of a trade war?

For how long have these hidden car door handles been around on how many cars?

According to Google search results such car door handles have a long history:

"Key, early, and modern milestones include:

1947: The Cisitalia 202 sports car is credited with the first use of a hidden, flush-mounted door handle.

1950s: The practice of "shaved door handles" (removing external handles for a smooth look) became popular in custom car/hot rod culture, often using solenoids for access.

1970s/80s: Manufacturers like Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Toyota (Celica) began incorporating integrated, flush-style handles."

I am not aware of any past news indicating serious issues with this type of car door handle in case of severe traffic accidents.

"One of the design features that became synonymous with Tesla has been banned in China.

Under new safety rules published Monday by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, cars sold in the country must have mechanical releases on their door handles. The new rules, which go in effect January 1, 2027, will prohibit the hidden, electronically actuated door handles popularized by Tesla — and now found on numerous other electric vehicles in China.

The new rule dictates that each door (excluding the tailgate) should be equipped with a mechanically released external door handle. Vehicles must also have a mechanical release on the interior of the vehicle. ...

Numerous high-profile fatal incidents, in which occupants have become trapped in their vehicles, have raised concerns among safety regulators and advocates globally. China is the first country to issue a ban. ..."

China is leading the fight against hidden car door handles | TechCrunch

China Bans Hidden EV Door Handles in World-First Safety Rule

EU extends carbon border tax (CBAM) to 180 downstream products and targets ‘loopholes’. Really!

CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) is an abomination of the socialist central planners of the EU! What fools! What arrogance!

Just reminder: Global warming is a hoax and climate change is a religion or pretense for socialist central planners!

President Trump uses tariffs, the EU uses tariffs too in the name of environmentalism!

"... CBAM definitive regime (from 2026 onwards)

The CBAM definitive period will start on 1 January 2026, therefore please read carefully and follow the instructions in the Authorisation Management Module section as soon as possible to submit your CBAM application. Importers of CBAM goods (or their indirect customs representatives) are urged to apply for the status of authorised CBAM declarants ..."

EU extends carbon border tax to 180 downstream products and targets ‘loopholes’ | Article | Compliance Week "The EU is extending its ground-breaking carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which imposes carbon pricing on raw materials imported from outside the EU, to 180 downstream products made from those materials. The CBAM is the first attempt worldwide to tax the carbon emissions of imports. It aims to ensure that domestic manufacturers who must pay for their greenhouse gas emissions under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) are not at a competitive disadvantage."

Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism "The EU’s environmental policy tool for fair carbon emissions pricing "

Credits: EU verschärft CO₂-Zoll: Kann CBAM Europas Industrie wirklich schützen?

Trump Announces Tariffs against 14 countries, ranging from 25% to 40%, Posts Letters Online

Wow! Worrisome! Next round in the new, ongoing trade war since the second term of President Trump.

I would agree that too many trading partner countries of the US have imposed too many and considerable non-tariff trade barriers over the past several decades. These many non-tariff trade barriers were introduced by many countries in violation of international trade agreements, despite many international trade conferences and despite World Trade Organisation etc..

On the other hand, we also have World War III going on in the Ukraine and a military conflict with Iran at the same time. How do you define a powder keg? Hope and pray there will not be a major escalation!

"President Trump announced new tariffs of up to 40% on goods from 14 countries, set to take effect Aug. 1, as part of his push for reciprocal trade terms.

Trump posted letters on Truth Social addressed to the affected countries announcing steep new tariffs—ranging from 25% to 40%—on imports from countries including Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia, warning that any retaliation would trigger even higher rates. ..."

Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - Join The Flyover

The European Union’s Due Diligence Directive Must Be Stopped

Food for thought! 

I remember this is not the first time that the EU has come up with outrageous mandates and bureaucratic nightmares like a socialist central planner (e.g. the Precautionary Principle)!

When climate change lunatics rule!

"Most Americans have probably never heard of the European Union’s (EU) recently passed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). According to the EU, the “aim” of the CSDDD “is to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behaviour in companies’ operations and across their global value chains. The new rules will ensure that companies in scope identify and address adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their actions inside and outside Europe.” ...

Under the CSDDD, all U.S. businesses, from multinational corporations to small family farms, would have to adhere to the EU’s environmental regulations that prioritize the mass adoption of expensive and unreliable so-called green energy while restricting the production of abundant, affordable, and reliable fossil fuel energy. ...

In essence, the CSDDD “is a transition plan for climate change mitigation aligned with the 2050 climate neutrality objective of the Paris Agreement as well as intermediate targets under the European Climate Law,” says the EU.

As evidence increasingly shows, the EU’s early adoption of an electric grid primarily fueled by intermittent wind and solar has not been a smooth process. For many years, European countries like Germany have struggled with chronic energy shortages.

A few months ago, the fragility of Europe’s green grid was put on full display when two solar facilities in southwest Spain experienced a sudden and severe drop in power output, which triggered a “complete collapse of the system,”  ...

the EU’s CSDDD represents a non-tariff trade barrier that Trump is intent on eliminating as his team negotiates with EU officials. ..."

The European Union’s Due Diligence Directive Must Be Stopped – RedState