Canada forges internationaltrade alliance

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2002

(GENEVA) - Canadian farm leaders met this week with farm leaders representing a broad group of national farm organizations to draft a joint Declaration for Fair and Equitable Agricultural Trade Rules at the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"We set out, not to create a new trade position, but to generate international support for the Canadian Federation of Agriculture's (CFA) trade position, and we succeeded," said Bob Friesen, CFA President.

"We spoke to other, like-minded countries and they agreed that internationally recognized trade rules must include the following key points: the results of agricultural trade negotiations must empower farmers; must accrue benefits to the farm gate; must recognize the value of domestic trade mechanisms like orderly marketing; must meet the needs of export-dependant farmers and provide improved export opportunities and assurances that all forms of measures, which in effect distort trade, are brought under WTO disciplines."

The signatories to the declaration agreed on 11 guiding principles which must form the basis of multilateral trade negotiations. The first principle states that the current WTO round of negotiations must achieve positive results for farmers around the world. Negotiations must result in a better functioning of agricultural markets, including through orderly marketing systems like supply management. Negotiations need to recognize there may be a need to vary the level of special and differential treatment dependant on the level of development within a country. The guiding principles also recognize the WTO as the principle vehicle for the establishment of fair and effective trade rules.

In addition to the CFA, the signatories to the declaration are: the Committee of Agricultural Organizations in the European Union (COPA), the General committee for Agricultural Cooperation in the European Union (COGECA), Icelandic Farmers Union, JA Zenchu (Japan), National Agricultural Cooperative of Korea, the Norwegian Farmers Union, Sri Lanka Cooperative Marketing Federation, Swiss Farmers Union, and le Réseau des organizations paysannes et de producteurs agricoles de l'Afrique de l'ouest (ROPPA - participating countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo).

"It is important to note this is not a declaration only from economically-powerful first-world nations. This is a declaration from farmers from developed and developing countries coming together in the interest of all farmers around the world," said Friesen.

The CFA trade position is reflected in the Government of Canada's initial negotiating position on trade. CFA will continue to develop alliances with countries around the world including a continuation of a constructive process in the Cairns group.

Click here to view a copy of the Declaration for Fair and Equitable Trade Rules at the WTO.

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Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.

Contact:

Kieran Green, CFA Communications Coordinator, (613) 236-3633, info@cfafca.ca

Bob Friesen, CFA President, (204) 724-0824 (cell)

Brigid Rivoire, CFA Executive Director, (613) 236-3633 / (613) 715-3113 (cell)