Vice President Joe Biden said last week the chances for Congress to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal were slim. Biden said he sees a “less than even chance” that the U.S. Congress approves the 12-country trade pact before the next administration takes office in January, according to Fortune Magazine. Biden made the remarks while speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He says the brief lame-duck session is “our only real shot” for approving TPP. The trade deal is the final cornerstone of the Obama administration as the President is pressing Congress to approve the agreement. However, with both presidential candidates speaking out against the trade deal, Congress has been reluctant to consider TPP. Leadership of the House and Senate say there will not be a vote on TPP this year, and that there may not be enough votes in the House to approve the trade deal. Other countries are holding out on approval, pending action by the United States.

The Presidential candidates are split when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the U.S. rule. This week, Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton told Farm Futures she supports the rule that seeks to clarify the types of water the EPA can regulate under the Clean Water Act. Clinton says she would work with all parties to ensure “common sense implementation.” She also said she was pleased that EPA maintained in WOTUS the “long-standing exemptions for common farming practices.” Farm groups, however, tend to disagree and claim the EPA is ignoring the exemption. A target for agriculture, WOTUS is currently under a court-ordered stay. 13 agriculture groups are involved in a lawsuit against the rule. Republican candidate for President Donald Trump says he would scuttle WOTUS. In a statement to the American Farm Bureau Federation this week, Politico reports Trump called the rule” so extreme that it gives federal agencies control over creeks, small streams, and even puddles.” Farm Bureau used a Senate report on the Clean Water Act this week to call on Congress to act on the rule.

Lawmakers in Germany are calling on regulators to curb Bayer Ag’s $66 billion proposed takeover of U.S. based Monsanto. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports a parliamentary session in Germany highlighted the backlash to Bayer’s proposed buy of Monsanto. Debate this week in the lower house of parliament, called by the Germany’s opposition Green Party, showed deep resistance to Bayer buying a U.S. company that many Germans view as a champion of genetically modified crops. Eight of the 12 lawmakers who spoke, including those from within Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, cast doubt on the acquisition. One lawmaker said “more than 70 percent of Germans say they don’t want genetically modified food on their plates, but that’s exactly part of the strategy of this merger.” However, lawmakers in Germany have no legislative authority to stop the deal. Buying Monsanto would give Bayer, about 35 percent of the global market for seeds and farm chemicals.

Following a 13-year ban on U.S. beef exports to China, the Chinese Government indicates the nation will begin accepting U.S. beef from animals less than 30 months of age. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association calls the indication a tremendous opportunity for U.S. cattle producers. The U.S. Meat Export Federation called the announcement a “welcome first step” in restarting beef exports to China. The U.S. Department of Agriculture now must work with China’s Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine to approve the certificates and protocols for exports. NCBA spokesperson Kent Bacus says the announcement is welcome news and “further highlights the benefits of trade in the Pacific.” He says the opened beef trade to China will expand further with passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which was signed by the President and awaits Congressional approval.

The federal Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to list rusty patch bumble bees under the Endangered Species Act because of declining populations. Agri-Pulse reports the proposed rule was scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Thursday. Petitions to the Fish and Wildlife Service say the bumble bee “is not only an important pollinator of prairie wildflowers but also of cranberries, blueberries, apples, alfalfa and numerous other crops.” The Fish and Wildlife Service says the number of rust patch bumble bee populations has declined by 91 percent. The proposal lists stressors to bumble bees as pathogens, pesticides, habitat loss and climate change. The Service points specifically to neonicotinoids use in agriculture that correlates with the decline in populations. The proposal starts a 60-day comment period and a final decision is expected in September of next year.

The Department of Agriculture has released a new procedure allowing certified organic meat and poultry producers to obtain approval of non-GMO label claims, based on the products organic certification. Announced by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the change was made because of the newly passed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act, or GMO labeling bill. The Act states organic certification is enough information to make claims about the absence of bioengineered ingredients. Meatingplace reports USDA’s organic regulations already require certified operations to obtain approval for labels that use the term “organic” or display the USDA organic seal. Now, a certified organic meat or poultry processor can modify or add a label claim to a previously approved label under the update. However, non-GMO label claims must be carefully worded so they do not confuse or mislead consumers, according to USDA.