INTERNATIONAL FARM LEADERS STATEMENT TO WTO MINISTERS
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2003
(MONTREAL) - International farm' leaders from Asia, Europe, Africa and North America gathered in Montreal, Canada in advance of a three day World Trade Organization Mini-Ministerial Meeting to send a message to their Ministers, governments officials and the global trade community, calling for Ministers to break the Doha impasse by seeking a new direction in the agricultural trade negotiations.
Farm leaders stressed that a new direction is needed in the agricultural negotiations to bridge the diverse positions on farm trade, to improve farmers' livelihoods in both importing and exporting countries and to establish fair and equitable agricultural trade rules. These rules must provide countries with the flexibility required to allow the co-existence of various models while addressing inequities.
The farm leaders believe that a rules-based system is necessary for international agricultural trade so that farmers are able to secure a reasonable income from their work in different areas and in different countries. They are urging Ministers to address the following issues over the next few days to ensure that meaningful progress can be made at the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico, in September.
In order to unblock the negotiations, the farm leaders propose the following:
- Rules on trade and competition policy to discipline the actions of the large multinational companies that dominate the retail food distribution sector and other parts of the agri-food chain. Industrial concentration is a major factor in causing distortions in international trade, so WTO negotiators must address this issue. It is also very important to achieve progress in the TRIPs negotiations which insures that the legitimate interests of farmers are protected.
- Rules on exporting practices, such as those of State Trading Enterprises, that do not prevent farmers from organising themselves in the market, providing that they are not trade or market distorting.
- Market access provisions that give countries options of whether to take tariff cuts on certain agricultural products, or to offer minimum market access. If a country is not prepared to reduce tariffs to meaningful levels, it should give minimum guaranteed access.
- Special and Differential Treatment for developing countries that allows them to protect their local markets while they address their food security, rural poverty and other related concerns. Negotiators therefore need to distinguish in the Agreement on Agriculture government support directed at products domestically consumed from government support for exported products. Developing countries, which are truly developing from an agricultural point of view, should be able to apply effective trade remedy measures if imported commodities, which are subsidised either directly or indirectly, undermine their prices or harm their markets.
- Non-trade concerns. The Doha mandate requires that non-trade concerns be taken into consideration during the negotiations. The draft modalities paper does not adequately address the broad role of agriculture plays in many countries, ensuring not only food production but many other functions, including the sustainability of rural areas and environmental protection.
Farm leaders believe that a balanced commitment from all sides is the key to a successful outcome of the Doha Development Round, and the elements outlined above should form part of such a balanced commitment. It is critical that issues be addressed now by Ministers to ensure a successful WTO Minister's Meeting in Cancun, Mexico. We remind Ministers that a good deal is more important to farmers than a quick deal.
Participating international farm organizations: Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Canada; COPA-COGEGA, European Union; Farrmers Iceland, Icelandic Farmers Union, Iceland; Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Philippinnes ; JA Zenchu, Japan ; Kenya National Farmers Union, Kenya ; National Agricultural Cooperative of Korea, Korea; National Farmers Union, USA; Norwegian Farmers Union, Norway; ROPPA (Réseau des organisations paysannes et de producteurs agricoles de l 'Afrique de l'ouest - Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo), Ivory Coast ; and Uganda National Farmers Federation, Uganda.
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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)
Emma Dillon, SM5 Press Secretary, (613) 371-4751 (cell)
