Spotlight News 12/05/2018

Customs Officers at World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas Seizes Large Amount of Marijuana Concealed in Two Separate Cargo Trucks

U.S. customs officers at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas seized a large amount of marijuana concealed in two separate cargo trucks, each carrying legitimate shipments from Mexico. Both seizures occurred on the same day and totaled almost three tonnes. The first discovery involved a cargo truck carrying a shipment of screws, while the other truck transported a load of wall fountains

UK Government Scheme to Address Potential Post-Brexit Labor Shortages Reportedly Leaves Migrant Workers Vulnerable to Exploitation

Some lawmakers and lobbyists have criticized a UK government plan that aims to minimize post-Brexit labor shortages by allowing “2,500 migrants from non-European Union nations to work on farms for up to six months.” Critics say that the plan places migrants at risk of debt bondage as the costs of obtaining a visa and travel to the United Kingdom are high and migrants lacking official citizenship status may not report any abuses for fear of being deported. Additionally, BSI has previously identified the agricultural sector as a major sector of concern with regards to forced labor in the United Kingdom

New Report Highlights the Lack of Fuel Reserves in Australia and the Potential for Significant Disruption

A new report from a maritime union in Australia explores the risk that Australia’s lack of strategic fuel reserves may have on the country, including business operations. The report highlights how Australia, which is the only developed oil importing country in the world with a government that controls crude oil stocks, does not have a regulation in place to regulate commercial stock requirements, and does not participate in oil markets. The country also maintains a strategic reserve of liquid fuel that would only last less than three weeks. Although the likelihood of an event occurring remains relatively low, Australia’s heavy reliance on imports from regions susceptible to conflict, such as Southeast Asia, places business operations at risk of significant disruption.

Company Issues Third Beef Recall of Meat Due to Salmonella Outbreak in the United States

A major meat company in Tolleson, Arizona held a third recall beef linked to a Salmonella outbreak in August. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 250 people across 25 states have been sickened by the outbreak since August, with a 35 percent hospitalization rate. The company has now recalled about twelve million pounds of beef.