12 November 2001 Media Statement
Showdown on Agriculture put off for another day
Intense consultations to find a way around the standoff between the European Union and most other World Trade
Organisation members over the draft declaration text on agriculture would continue for at least another day, Trade
Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton said today.
Mr Sutton, speaking from the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, where members are meeting to try to agree a text to
form the basis of a new round of world trade negotiations, said that agriculture was proving to be a deal-breaker for
many countries.
"We have heard moving speeches from ministers of developing nations who see liberalised market access for agricultural
products as the only way they have of improving the living standards of their citizens. Agriculture is the key industry
for most developing nations and they need to be able to sell their products in the markets of rich nations if they are
to become richer themselves."
Mr Sutton said agriculture was also important to developed countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, which were
heavily reliant on agricultural export trade.
"Several ministers in the Cairns Group of agricultural exporting nations have said they cannot go home unless there is
some commitment in the final text to negotiate on phasing out export subsidies."
He said that the United States supported the inclusion of the "phasing out export subsidies" phrase, and Japan - a
traditional opponent of moves to reduce subsidies - had indicated it could live with the phrase being included in the
final text.
The European Union, however, was adamant that the phrase had to be dropped from the text. Under WTO rules, all members
must accept all the proposed text, or a new round of international trade negotiations cannot be launched. Meetings on
issues and potential solutions to the standoff were continuing through the night in Doha.
Ministers and their delegations have till Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning NZ time) to reach agreement. The Doha WTO
meeting finishes on November 13.
ENDS