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ASA Leads Ag
Groups in Call for Redirecting WTO Talks
October 5, 2007... Saint Louis, Missouri...
The American Soybean Association (ASA) initiated a letter today to
President Bush from 12 farm organizations urging a correction to the
severe imbalance in the current agriculture text in the World Trade
Organization (WTO) Doha negotiations. The groups expressed deep concern
with the status and direction of the Doha round of WTO agricultural
negotiations.
ASA President John Hoffman, CEO Steve Censky, and other agriculture
groups met with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative this week to
discuss their concerns with the Doha round. The meeting was timed in
advance of renewed talks in Geneva next week aimed at resolving
remaining differences on agriculture issues.
The letter reiterated points made by the same groups in June 2006, that
the level of ambition in obtaining access to both developed and
developing countries must be commensurate with the level of ambition in
cutting trade distorting domestic support.
“Unfortunately, the current text for the agriculture negotiations
proposes to further reduce U.S. domestic support well below the U.S.
offer of October 2005, while the ranges for overall tariff cuts are set
lower than those proposed by the United States,” Hoffman said. “Even
more troubling, the current agriculture text does not address key
measures that could seriously erode any market access gains.”
Joining ASA on the letter were the American Farm Bureau Federation,
American Sugar Alliance, National Association of Wheat Growers, National
Barley Growers Association, National Corn Growers Association, National
Cotton Council, National Milk Producers Federation, National Sorghum
Producers, USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council, USA Rice Federation and U.S.
Canola Association.
ASA leadership will travel to Geneva in coming weeks to continue to
press on the need to significantly expand market access in the Doha
negotiations, which is a top priority for U.S. soybean growers.
“We continue to support an agreement that reforms trade-distorting
agricultural practices and opens world markets to expanded agricultural
trade,” Hoffman said.
ASA is the policy advocate and collective voice of its 23,000
producer-members on domestic and international issues of importance to
all U.S. soybean farmers.
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