Officials in Canada are investigating the possible source of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus confirmed at a Manitoba farm last week. Canada’s government is concerned trucks might carry the virus between the U.S. and Canada and inadvertently spread the illness, according to Meatingplace. Manitoba is working to establish a quarantine zone following the confirmation of PEDv last week. The province previously reported nine confirmed outbreaks of PEDv on Manitoba farms since 2014 and six of those are now considered “PEDv Presumptive Negative.” Manitoba’s Chief Veterinary Office is helping pork producers to boost biosecurity measures as follow-up programs are launched on 220 hog operations in the province. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is also conducting its own investigation to determine the movements of the animals with PEDv and completing its own sampling and testing. PEDv killed some eight million piglets on U.S. farms in 2014 and Manitoba is a major exporter of piglets to the United States.

Vietnam is set to delay ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership until next year, as anxiety is rising over the deal in the U.S. Congress and the anti-trade presidential campaigns. A top government official in Vietnam has suggested the National Assembly hold off on a vote on the 12-nation deal during the next session starting in mid-October because “many countries in the world haven’t approved it.” Other nations included in the deal have expressed concern regarding the outlook for TPP given the current political mood in the U.S. regarding trade ahead of the November elections. Bloomberg says Vietnam, while fully supportive of the deal, usually operates cautiously on the global stage. Meanwhile, Australia has not specified when it will put the TPP before its own parliament, though Japan’s ruling party has indicated it plans to pass the agreement in a parliamentary session starting next week.

The American Farm Bureau Federation says Tuesday’s Senate report on the Clean Water Act proves the need for the Senate to act against the Waters of the U.S. rule. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says the case studies presented in the report reflect “the serious concerns” Farm Bureau has raised over the last two years. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works released the report this week that Farm Bureau says exposes “reckless and unlawful actions in enforcing the Clean Water Act.” Farm Bureau alleges the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have unlawfully stretched the limited authority Congress gave the agencies. Specifically, AFBF says through the Clean Water Act, the federal agencies have regulated ordinary plowing, a normal farming activity exempted by Congress, and claimed authority to regulate tire ruts and puddles found on the farm. Duvall says the report shows the Senate should reconsider the measure to stop the Waters of the U.S. rule “at its earliest opportunity.”

Farm groups are showing caution regarding the recent merger and acquisition trend in the agriculture industry, while companies included in the trend say innovation will benefit from the changes. At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, lawmakers heard from top agriculture and commodity groups along with agribusiness leaders. During the hearing, the National Farmers Union asked for more oversight on what NFU President Roger Johnson called “failing antitrust enforcement” in Agriculture. Groups such as the National Corn Growers Association and the American Soybean Association indicated a desire to preserve competition, but add the mergers could allow for more agriculture biotech research. Agriculture industry companies at the hearing, including Monsanto and DuPont, say the mergers will allow for the expansion of innovation and choice for farmers. In calling the hearing, Committee chair, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, voiced concern that “further concentration in the industry will reduce choice and raise the price of chemicals and seed for farmers.” He warned that price increase would be ultimately passed on to the consumer.

China intends to invest the equivalent of $450 billion to modernize the nation’s agriculture sector. Politico reports the investment over the next four years is an effort to increase China’s agriculture industry’s efficiency and foster rural income growth. The Agricultural Development Bank of China said over the weekend that the bank had signed an agreement with China’s Ministry of Agriculture regarding the investment. The Ministry says the agreement will protect national food security, support the sector doing business overseas and develop China’s seed industry. However, as reported in China, it is not immediately clear whether this commitment is separate from the bank’s plan announced in May for poverty reduction in China via agricultural investments.

The Wall Street Journal says the agreement between Bayer and Monsanto could be a step toward fighting back against strict agriculture biotech regulations in the European Union. That’s because Bayer has a more positive reputation than Monsanto among the European public, in part because Bayer is known for products beyond agrochemicals, such as pharmaceuticals. Many genetically modified crops are banned throughout Europe. The Wall Street Journal says the oversight has been driven by fierce public resistance in the EU to pesticides and other crop protection chemicals. The head of Bayer’s crop science division says overregulation is the “single biggest challenge” in the EU for crop protection companies. The regulatory environment and current crop prices helped to kick-start consolidation efforts within the industry. Monsanto and Bayer announced the $66 billion takeover agreement last week.

The recent Ag Confidence Index compiled by DTN reached the lowest score recorded since the poll began. Known as the ACI, the August results from farmer surveys produced the lowest score, of 72 in the seven-year history of the index. One year ago, the ACI was a more neutral 98. The data reflects a 27 percent drop in confidence from last year. A poll organizer says the results indicate that “bad has become the new normal” for many farmers. The DTN Agriculture Confidence Index is based on surveys from 500 farmers who are asked a series of questions regarding their financial and business conditions. The survey is conducted before planting, before harvest and just before the end of the year. Results above a rating of 100 indicate optimism, while results below 100 indicate pessimism in confidence.