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CALIFORNIA: WARM, DRY WEATHER PUSHES STRAWBERRY SEASON Page 11 Capital Press The West s Weekly FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2015 Portland ag exports still hinge on labor dispute By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI VOLUME 88, NUMBER 14 WWW.CAPITALPRESS.COM $2.00 THRIVING DESPITE THREATS Capital Press PORTLAND — Contain- erized farm exports from the Port of Portland are unlikely to revive without a reconcili- ation between the longshore- men’s union and the container facility’s operator, a port offi - cial says. The Hanjin shipping line stopped calling at the facility last month due to low produc- tivity, but the port hopes to eventually restore direct con- tainer service to Asia. While other carriers still use the port, Hanjin handled most of the container volume. Agricultural exporters who relied on Portland must now ship to Asia through more dis- tant terminals. However, ocean carri- ers will be reluctant to take over for Hanjin in Portland until a longstanding dispute is resolved between the In- ternational Longshore and Warehouse Union and ICTSI Oregon, the container termi- nal’s operator, said Sebastian Degens, general manager of marine and terminal business development at the port. It’s possible the relation- ship must still “hit rock bot- tom” before such a truce can occur, Degens told Capital Press at an April 1 panel dis- cussion on agricultural trade in Portland. ICTSI and ILWU are mired in several lawsuits that also involve the port and the National Labor Relations Board. The union was recently or- dered to pay $60,000 for con- tempt of court after a federal judge found longshoremen had violated an order not to engage in work slowdowns. Meanwhile, ICTSI is chal- lenging another ruling in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Ap- peals that dismissed some of its claims against the union. If the two sides can bury the hatchet and vow to coop- erate, that would help over- come the container terminal’s “inconsistent and unreliable” reputation — perhaps con- vincing Hanjin to return or Photos by Mateusz Perkowski/Capital Press A mink at a farm in Mount Angel, Ore. Mink industry bolsters security; bills itself as sustainable By JOHN O’CONNELL Capital Press K evin Flynn once evaluated U.S. military bases for security breaches and protected convoys from attack. Nowa- days, Flynn $120 puts those battleground $100 † skills to use for mink (Price per pelt/U.S. dollars*) farmers, checking their *Based on USDA reports for the previous year’s production. operations for vulnerabil- † Fur Commission USA estimate. 80 ities and advising them how to avoid the threat of attacks by animal rights extremists. In the fi ve years he’s been in charge of mink 40 $25.50 industry security, work- $56.30: Down ing for Oregon-based 46.3% from 2013 Fur Commission USA, Flynn’s results have Source: Fur Commission USA John O’Connell and Alan Kenaga/Capital Press prompted the Canadian 0 fur industry to solicit his 1990 2000 2010 2014 services, and the Euro- pean industry is looking into modeling its security program after his approach. Flynn’s pedigree includes 18 years in domestic law enforcement, employment with the U.S. Army military police and U.S. Air Force Se- curity Forces and private security contracting in the Middle East. Turn to DISPUTE, Page 12 Joe Ruef handles a mink at his farm in Mount Angel, Ore. U.S. mink prices Turn to MINK, Page 12 Critics discount WHO’s glyphosate report Supporters ask EPA consider herbicide’s cancer risk By ERIC MORTENSON Capital Press Critics say the World Health Orga- nization’s conclusion that glyphosate “probably” causes cancer runs count- er to what numerous other studies have found and should be withdrawn. Meanwhile, advocacy groups last week urged the Environmental Pro- tection Agency to consider the re- Online WHO report: http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/iarcnews/pdf/MonographVol- ume112.pdf Video: http://grist.org/science/watch-stick-fi gures-explain-what-probably-causes- cancer-even-means/ port’s fi ndings in an upcoming risk assessment of commonly used pes- ticides. In a report issued after its March meeting in France, the WHO’s In- ternational Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto Co.’s Roundup herbicide, is probably car- cinogenic to humans and there is some evidence linking it to non-Hod- gkin lymphoma as well. The fi nding is the opposite of what other regulatory and research agencies have concluded. The European Union’s Glypho- sate Task Force said evaluations done over the past 40 years consistently confi rmed glyphosate “poses no un- acceptable risk to humans, animals or the environment.” One of the larg- est epidemiology studies involved approximately 57,000 U.S. farmers who apply herbicides, the task force said in a prepared statement. The task force said the IARC should withdraw its classifi cation of glyphosate, citing “serious defi cien- cies in terms of methodological ap- proach.” The German Federal Institute of Risk Assessment, which in 2014 de- clared glyphosate non-carcinogenic, called the IARC classifi cation a “sur- prise” and contrary to studies done Turn to REPORT, Page 12 14-1/#5