 |
 AgTrade Coalition Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 11, 2003 CONTACT: Curt Mercadante Corn Refiners Association, Inc. Washington, DC, USA curt@corn.org 202-331-1634 (from USA) 001-202-331-1634 (from Mexico) 'The Playing Field Must Be Level' U.S. Agricultural Coalition Lays out Goals for WTO Ministerial During Press Conference Held in Cancun WASHINGTON, DC - "The overall goal of these negotiations is to level the playing field for American agriculture in international agricultural trade," said Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, during a press conference held at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial in Cancun, Mexico. The press conference was held by the AgTrade Coalition, a U.S. coalition of more than 100 commodity, processor and agribusiness organizations that support further liberalization in agricultural trade through the WTO. Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, moderated the press conference. Stallman added, "The American Farm Bureau supports elimination of export subsidies to improve market access - but that reduction of domestic supports must be consistent across developed and developing countries. This is not a one-way street." Speaking on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry, Tom Camerlo, chairman of the National Milk Producers Federation, said, "Market access is perhaps the most important issue to U.S. dairy producers." Camerlo added, "The U.S. dairy industry is willing to give up our export program, but only if European countries agree to eliminate their export subsidies. Trade harmonization can only be achieved by eliminating inequities." Terry Wolf, chairman of the U.S. Grains Council, added, "developing countries have some of the highest barriers to trade in the world, and those barriers often preclude any trade from taking place. The high tariffs curtail economic growth and prosperity in these countries, and limit their opportunities to capitalize on their competitive advantages." Ron Heck, president of the American Soybean Association, said, "The bottom line is that any framework agreement reached in Cancun must significantly provide the opportunity to subject the domestic support policy of world-class net agriculture exporting developing countries to the same disciplines as developed countries." Stallman, when asked of the progress of the Cancun meetings, responded, "As expected, to this point we've only seen a lot of posturing and political statements. Hopefully, throughout today we will see an end to the posturing and some serious negotiations toward addressing these important issues." # # # |