CFA to international ministers: end trade inequities
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2003
(TOKYO, JAPAN) - The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) will deliver a message to International Trade and Agriculture Ministers and the Canadian negotiating team who are meeting in Tokyo to discuss the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. CFA joins farm leaders representing a broad group of national farm organizations around the world to call for fair and equitable trade rules for agricultural producers.
“As Canada’s largest farm organization, we are here to support and encourage our Ministers and their negotiating team to continue to press forward in addressing the inequities that still exist from the Uruguay Round,” said Bob Friesen, CFA President. “The CFA is proud to join with these farm leaders from around the world to call for balanced trade reform that will create clear, fair and effective trade rules and level the international playing field.”
The timing of this meeting of farm leaders is critical as Committee on Agriculture Chair, Stuart Harbinson, will release the first draft of the Modalities for the Further Commitments for agricultural negotiations on Monday, February 17. After reviewing the paper CFA is concerned it does little to level the international playing field in terms of market access and domestic support, and limits producers’ right to use orderly marketing structures.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture united with their Japanese host organization JA Zenchu, along with Comité des Organisations Professionnelles Agricoles de l’UE (COPA) and Comité Général de la Coopération Agricole de l’UE (COGECA) of the European Union, Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitans Agricoles (FNSEA) and Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) of France, Indonesian Cooperative Council, National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of Korea, Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives of the Philippines, Sri Lanka Cooperative Marketing Federation, Taiwan Provincial Farmers' Association and the National Farmers Union of the United States to make today’s announcement.
In light of current discussions on the modalities paper, these farm leaders will be meeting with Trade and Agriculture Ministers to help promote Canada’s negotiating position – to curb high levels of domestic support spending, to improve market access opportunities, to preserve producers’ right to use orderly marketing structures, and to eliminate export subsidy spending.
“This meeting is an opportunity for Ministers to recognize and respect producer’s need for fair trade rules. We are confident that the WTO can achieve constructive reform of international agricultural trade by committing to rules that benefit producers with fair returns,” concluded Mr. Friesen.
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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)
