(HONG KONG) – Bob Friesen, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), is attending World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations in Hong Kong this week pushing an aggressive position that serves the interests of all Canadian agriculture. Friesen is being supported by farmer representatives from across Canada and from major Canadian commodity groups.  

CFA representatives will be forcefully promoting Canadian agriculture in meetings with foreign delegations throughout the week, in addition to meeting with and supporting Canada’s own negotiating team. CFA’s position is based on four key principles:

1. The complete elimination of all export subsidies.
2. A commitment to real increases in effective market access, while at the same time respecting the needs of import-sensitive commodities.
3. Real and equitable reduction in trade distorting domestic agricultural support, with the big global spenders committing to larger spending reductions.
4. State trading enterprises (STEs) that are not trade-distorting should not be on the negotiating table.

“CFA believes in fair and improved trade,” said Friesen. “Our position is one that addresses the inequities of the Uruguay Round. It will bring market access benefits to both Canadian farmers and farmers in the developing world, while preserving the rights of those farmers to make their own decisions on how they market their products.”

CFA will hold a joint news conference from Hong Kong today, Wedensday, December 14,  at 10:00 a.m. EST with representatives of Canadian export-oriented commodities, supply-managed commodities and the Canadian Wheat Board.

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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.