Agriculture

EU outlines farm moves to U.S. to unblock WTO talks

23 May, 2006
By William Schomberg
The European Union outlined to the United States on Tuesday how it might improve its agricultural offer in a long-delayed global trade round and said the next move must be Washington's, an EU official said.

Agriculture talks at boiling point over Special Products

8 May, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 5 May 2006
WTO negotiations in agriculture have reached a near-crisis over the issues of Special Products (SP) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), with developing countries that have championed these concepts being in a state of fury at what they see as attempts by the United States and some other exporting countries to undermine agreement on and use of these two instruments.

More Agriculture Papers from the WTO

7 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to several documents that have been distributed in the recent agriculture negotiations.

Recent Communications on Domestic Regulation in GATS

7 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to the recent communications on domestic regulation in the GATS negotiations.

Chair's Reference Paper on Special Products

4 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
Link to the Chair's reference paper on Special Products.

FAO Expresses Concern Over Livestock Globalization

2 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has expressed concern over the globalization of livestock markets. The growth of international trade in livestock production can bring benefits to producers and consumers but can also be perilous for small producers in particular.

FAO Uncertain About Livestock Globalization

2 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
The advance toward global livestock markets is not coming without potential risks to livelihoods, human health and the environment, warns the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Recent Agriculture Papers

2 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to several new papers on agriculture.

Major differences over special products, special safeguard

2 May, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 30 April 2006
Major differences on the issues of Special Products (SPs) and the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) were evident at the negotiations on agriculture at the WTO on 26-28 April.

April wheat stocks at twice the buffer norms

1 May, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
The government decision to import 3.5 million tonne wheat for maintaining the buffer stock may soon prove to have been needlessly hasty as the stock in the central pool is already more than double the norm set for April.

Wheat imports: sacrificing farmers for WTO

30 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
India is unilaterally opening up its doors for imports of wheat at a time when the issues of special products (SPs), special safeguard mechanism (SSM), farm tariffs and bound rates and the role of state trading enterprises are not yet settled in the WTO.

WTO agriculture talks on export competition issues

25 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 20 April 2006
The WTO's agriculture negotiations this week have focused so far on issues relating to the export competition pillar, specifically on food aid, state trading enterprises and export credits.

Wheat imports undermine India's position in WTO

23 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
India is deliberately weakening its bargaining position in WTO by unnecessarily resorting to wheat imports against zero duty and relaxed quarantine norms when the granary is full.

G33's Letter to Lamy on SP and SSM

20 April, 2006
Goh Chien Yen
Links to excerpts from Martin Khor's news article on this development which provides some background and context to the G33 letter. And the G33 letter to Lamy for your information and action.

Key differences re-surface in NAMA report and meeting

20 April, 2006
Goh Chien Yen (TWN), Geneva, 19 April 2006
In this final week of negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) before the end-April deadline for modalities, WTO members remain polarized over the key issues of the formula for making tariff cuts and flexibilities from the formula for developing country members.

Falconer's Reference Papers on the Blue Box and Export Credits

18 April, 2006
Carin Smaller, Trade Information Project Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Links for 'reference papers' from the Chair of the Agriculture Negotiations, Amb. Falconer, which will be discussed in the current agriculture week.

Doubts Grow About Ministerial Meeting In April on WTO Agriculture, NAMA Talks

12 April, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
An anticipated meeting of trade ministers in Geneva at the end of April aimed at pushing forward a deal for the Doha Round talks on agriculture and nonagricultural market access looks more doubtful as chances for securing a final agreement on 'modalities' in the two sectors fade, according to officials contacted by BNA April 11 and 12.

Agriculture Chair's 'Reference Papers' and U.S. Communications

12 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to the 'reference papers' submitted by the Chair of the Agriculture negotiations, Ambassador Falconer, to the WTO membership on Wednesday 11 April.

Volcker casts shadow on wheat import

10 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
Government

Agriculture Impasse Between U.S., EU Dims Prospects for Concluding Doha by Year-End

9 April, 2006
Gary G. Yerkey
The prospects for successfully concluding the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks by the end of the year appear to have dwindled significantly in recent weeks, sources said April 7, as the United States and the European Union continue to be at odds over the make-or-break issue of agriculture.