Originally published October 9 2005
Foreign pressures could lead to decreased farm subsidies
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Threatening to deadlock global trade talks with the European Union and other nations, Bush could be forced to cut U.S. farm subsidies without the promise that foreign nations will remove agricultural import tariffs.
The United States is under growing pressure to make difficult concessions on farm subsidies after a Friday meeting with three other trade powers failed to break a deadlock that threatens global trade talks.
Washington so far has resisted demands that it come up with an offer to cut market-distorting farm aid, saying it first wants to see moves by trade partners to reduce agricultural import tariffs.
But the European Union took a step in that direction Friday, presenting a detailed but tentative tariff-cutting offer at talks with U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and ministers from India and Brazil.
No details were given of the European proposals, which received a mixed reception from India and Brazil -- head of the so-called G20 group of developing countries that is pushing for increased access to industrialized markets for their farmers.
Brazilian negotiators criticized the EU offer as overcomplicated, but some Indian officials described it as a good basis for negotiation.
Asked about the U.S. position, however, Bhatia said: "Naturally we're a little disappointed at the lack of progress on domestic support issues."
Portman rejected suggestions that the United States was failing to live up to its leadership aspirations as the global Doha trade round enters the final straight.
"The United States has a relatively open economy in terms of trade," he said.
But EU farm reforms adopted in 2003 will convert the bulk of the bloc's production subsidies into animal welfare and environmental management grants to farmers -- deemed far less trade-distorting under WTO rules.
The Doha round, set to conclude next year, sets out to boost the global economy by lowering trade barriers across all sectors -- with particular emphasis on developing countries.
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