Canadian farm leaders join trade talks, push Canadian position
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2003
(CANCUN, MEXICO) - Canadian farm leaders met with their international counterparts this week to discuss key issues and send common messages to Ministers attending the 5th WTO Ministerial Meeting taking place in Cancun, Mexico.
Canada, along with other Cairns Group farm leaders, issued a joint statement calling on their Ministers to reduce the high levels of spending, seek substantial improvement in market access and eliminate all forms of export subsidies. Farm leaders also called on Ministers to address the deficiencies in the current agreement and to work toward meaningful reform of world agriculture trade in the Doha Round negotiations.
“The final goal must be trade rules that are fair and equitable to all,” stressed Bob Friesen, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA). “This means addressing the inequalities that came out of the Uruguay round. We can’t just pile new trade rules on top of old. If we can’t get the Uruguay rules to work, we won’t get new rules to work.”
Canadian farm leaders raised concerns with Stuart Harbinson, Chair of the WTO Negotiations Committee on Agriculture as well as with the Hon. Franz Fischler, EU Commissioner for Agriculture and the Hon. Roberto Rodrigues, Minister of Agriculture for Brazil, who made presentations to delegates at the International Federation of Agriculture Producers meeting, also held in Cancun this week.
CFA hosted a meeting of representatives from the international farmers' organizations that have signed the joint Declaration for Fair and Equitable Trade Rules at the WTO. The farm leaders discussed how farmers from across the world can work together to ensure international food and agriculture policies benefit producers. The farm leaders also discussed the need for policies that will improve economic sustainability for producers, preserve the autonomy of each country to determine its food and agriculture policies and address food security and global hunger issues.
“Canadian producers remain fully engaged in negotiations here, working in the collective interest of all regions and commodities,” said Friesen. “We still need substantial movement in domestic support and market access but remain committed to working toward a positive outcome from these talks – positive for Canadian producers, and for all producers around the world.”
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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:
Bob Friesen, CFA President, (204) 724-0824 (cell)
Kieran Green, COmmunications Coordinator, (613) 236-3633
