WTO talks aiming for agricultural solutions

The WTO, aiming to promote global trade through by closing new deals, hopes
to resume talks that were started in Doha, Qatar, in 2001.

Agriculture is
one of the two main issues obstructing the closing of a worldwide WTO deal. Some
growing markets, e.g. Brazil and India, want the western powers like the
European Union and the US to stop using its agricultural tariffs and subsidies,
allowing proper access to the European markets for all countries.

US
proposal
Due to high feed costs, many prices for agricultural products
are high anyway, hence agricultural subsidies are not really necessary nowadays.
On Tuesday, the US proposed to lower its maximum for subsidies from $48 billion
to $15 billion – a decrease of 69%.

Critics replied that in reality, the
American offer does not mean much, since the US government does not have to
spend as much money due to high feed costs.

European
Union
Earlier this week, the EU offered a 60% average farm tariff cut.
Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim however was not impressed.

“Let’s
see if that 60% comes with the products that are of interest to us, such as
ethanol, sugar and beef,” he told the Associated Press. “If not, it’s not
meaningful.”

Unfair to farmers
Internally, the French and the
Irish do not agree with the 60% offer. The French farmers’ organisation FNSEA
said that ‘a cynical and unfair agreement would not be a solution,’ fearing that
EU farmers will be suffering from these agreements.

It is hoped, however,
that all parties will reach an agreement before the end of this
weekend.

Related website:
European Union
FNSEA
World
Trade Organization (WTO) 

For
regular updates on feed news subscribe here to our free
newsletter