The CFA supports Cairns Group Farm Leaders' Communiqué

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) joined Farm Leaders from the Cairns Group member countries in Punta Del Este, Uruguay April 19, 2010 to discuss the ongoing Doha Development Agenda and support Canada's balanced trade position, resulting in a joint statement presented to the Cairns Ministers also meeting in Uruguay.
 
"This is a very positive outcome for the CFA and for Canadian farmers - as our input was clearly heard and our hard-earned balanced trade position well reflected at this meeting and in this statement," said Laurent Pellerin, CFA President.
 
"After a long discussion, many recognized the need for greater flexibility in agricultural negotiations in order to find solutions to bring this round to its conclusion, including Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy," added Pellerin.
 
The CFA and the Cairns group presented a statement (attached) to the Cairns Ministers that urged Ministers to "pursue urgent engagement across the broader WTO membership - with the aim of mobilizing consensus when world leaders of the G8 and G20 meet in June in Canada." 
 
The Cairns Group is a unique coalition of 19 agricultural exporting countries with a commitment to reforming agricultural trade. The Canadian government is a member of the Cairns Group. The next Cairns Group meeting will be held in Canada.
 

Backgrounder
 
CAIRNS GROUP FARM LEADERS'
PUNTA DEL ESTE COMMUNIQUE 19 APRIL 2010
 
Cairns Group Farm Leaders met today in Punta del Este, Uruguay, to discuss the long-running Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations and how decisions governments make on trade policy impact on agricultural businesses, families and communities.

Farm leaders are frustrated with the lack of progress and call upon world leaders to demonstrate the political will and responsibility required to bring the Doha Development Round to a successful conclusion.

Farm leaders urge Cairns Group Ministers to hasten their resolve to finalise modalities which must deliver freer trade under a rules based system in agricultural goods through the multilateral approach.

We strongly advocate that Ministers pursue urgent engagement across the broader WTO membership - with the aim of mobilizing consensus when world leaders of the G8 and G20 meet in June in Canada.

This Round represents the best opportunity to remove the big distortions in international trade in agricultural products. It is the only means by which broad liberalization in agricultural trade can occur across the three pillars of market access, export competition and domestic support, including those measures that depress world prices for farmers.

Cairns Group Ministers should not allow a lowering of ambition from the draft text tabled in December 2008 and instead build from this base. Any additional trade distorting mechanisms within the negotiations must be strongly resisted, including the possible misuse of the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM).

There is so much at stake if the Doha Development Round cannot achieve its full ambition. 

Not only will the gains for the world's farmers and consumers be jeopardized but failure will also represent a lost opportunity for global economic stimulus and pose enormous risks to the WTO rules based system itself.

The benefits of having a robust and transparent rules based system should not be understated in terms of providing a binding and enforceable mechanism to resolve international trade disputes, making trade in agricultural produce more secure and predictable. Cairns Group Ministers must ensure that all countries abide by their agreed WTO responsibilities.

Farm leaders also note that multilateral liberalisation has the greatest potential benefits for the world's farmers and indeed the broader international community. Being a development round it should offer farmers from developing countries the opportunity to compete on an equitable footing on world markets.

Cairns Group Ministers must retain their commitment to the multilateral reform process as their priority. While farm leaders support trade liberalization, bilateral and regional trade negotiations must not be seen as a substitute for multilateral reform through the WTO.

Time is precious and with each wasted day the future of the multilateral trading system and WTO credibility is at stake.

Without lowering the level of ambition of the agricultural negotiations, solutions in the broader context of this round are required to bring this negotiation to a conclusion and this work needs to begin immediately. We stand ready to support you in finding a pathway to concluding the Doha Development Round.