Agriculture

U.S. Rejects Africans' Cotton Proposal, Calls for Same 'Ambition' on

30 March, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
The United States March 27 rejected a proposal from African countries calling for cuts of at least 82 percent in U.S. cotton subsidies.

U.S. Rejects Africans' Cotton Proposal, Calls for Same 'Ambition' on

29 March, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
The European Union plans to press for curbs on controversial export taxes as part of the Doha global trade round, despite widespread opposition from the many developing countries that use them.

Agriculture: No 'material progress' in WTO talks since Hong Kong

28 March, 2006
Kanaga Raja (South North Development Monitor): Geneva, 21 Mar 2006
The Chair of the Special Session of the WTO Committee on Agriculturetold members at an informal meeting Monday that despite variousconsultations, he has not seen any 'material progress' in the agriculture negotiations since the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December.

LDC Food Aid Submission

23 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
A link to the least developed country (LDC) Group submission on food aid. Please note in particular the reference to the possibility for monetisation 'under exceptional circumstances, to fund activities that are directly related to the delivery of the food aid to, or facilitating procurement of agriculture inputs, where necessary by the final recipients.'

Another EU Memo on Future of CAP/Un autre Memo sur la future du PAC

22 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
Two links to articles on the reform and future of the EU's CAP. The first is a Memorandum on the Implementation and Future of the Reformed CAP. The second is an analysis by Jacques Berthelot on the Memorandum. Please note in particular the section at the end on the question of the future of the CAP.

Post Hong Kong Negotiations' farmers groups skeptical of IndiaR17's position

20 March, 2006
Focus on the Global South - India Programme
The Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers

Little Progress Among G-6 in Paris

1 March, 2006
Washington Trade Dail
Senior officials from the so-called Group-of-Six countries the United States, the European Union, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan yesterday concluded a three-day meeting in Paris on agriculture issues in the Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations with little apparent progress

EU Rejects Ag Requests in G-6 Meeting

28 February, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
Brussels yesterday flatly rejected calls by the United States, Australia and Brazil to improve its farm market access offer a stand that cast doubts on whether the ministerial meeting of the Group-of-Six countries next week in London will succeed in breaking the ice in the Doha Development Agenda farm negotiations.

The Pseudo-Science of Biotech Lobbyists: The baseless Barfoot - Brookes claim that farmers and the environment have benefited from GMO's

26 February, 2006
Dr. Vandana Shiva
While biotech crops fail farmers, and destroy biodiversity the 'global' studies of biotech lobbyists continue to cook up benefits to farmers and the environment. A recent example of such pseudo-science is a report by Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot of PG Economies Limited, U.K entitled.

Agriculture: No convergence from week of consultations

23 February, 2006
By Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb06/18)
A week-long series of meetings on agriculture on 13-17 February at the WTO did not result in more convergence on the issues covered, although positions of various countries or groupings were further clarified.

New proposal on reducing cotton domestic subsidies

23 February, 2006
By Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb06/18)
A new proposal was tabled last week on an accelerated programme for reducing domestic support for cotton by the four West African countries that are co-sponsors of the sectoral initiative in favour of cotton.

Technical paper by US and New Zealand on sensitive agriculture products

22 February, 2006
IATP
A link to a technical paper produced by the U.S. and New Zealand on an approach to sensitive agriculture products in the WTO agriculture negotiations.

Norway takes salmon row to WTO in surprise move

21 February, 2006
By Lisbeth Kirk
The Norwegian ministry of foreign affairs announced on Tuesday (21 February) it will bring EU rules to curb salmon trade to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Agriculture Chairperson issues list of WTO negotiating issues

20 February, 2006
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb06/12)
A long list of questions has been distributed by the Chairperson of the agriculture negotiations for members to use during the 'agriculture week' of negotiations being held at the WTO this week.

US Congress Keeps Its Hands Untied on Agriculture Subsidies

14 February, 2006
David, FoE
A revised one-page factsheet on US Congressional resistance to agriculture policy reform

Agriculture and NAMA simulations from Davos

13 February, 2006
IATP
Two papers from the Davos mini-Ministerial: simulations for agriculture and NAMA, and Sensitive products

Starting to Write a Text on Agriculture

9 February, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
Doha Development Agenda agriculture trade negotiations Chairman Crawford Falconer yesterday began his first attempt to build a text for negotiating modalities by posing questions to members on the central elements of a final agreement trade-distorting domestic support, export competition and market access

List of Questions from the Chair on Agriculture for WTO negotiations

9 February, 2006
IATP
a link to documents for the next agriculture week 13-17 February 2006.

G-6 to Meet This Weekend

9 February, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
The United States will host a meeting this weekend of senior officials and envoys of the Group-of-Six countries the United States, the European Union, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan to discuss the most difficult issues remaining in the Doha Development Agenda agricultural trade negotiations.

WTO Ruling Backs Biotech Crops; European Ban, Challenged by U.S and Allies, Violates Trade Regulations, Panel Says

7 February, 2006
Justin Gillis and Paul Blustein, Washington Post
The World Trade Organization ruled yesterday that a six-year European ban on genetically engineered crops violates international trade rules, according to U.S. sources familiar with the ruling.