Canadian Agri-Food Exporters Encourage Renewed Effort for Global Trade Agreement

(The Canadian Press)

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) hopes that the Government of Canada and other nations will soon convene a Ministerial-level meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Members. CAFTA is a coalition of national and regional organizations, associations and companies that have come together in support of a more open and fair international trading environment for agriculture and agri-food.

A Ministerial Meeting before the end of 2008 would be an extremely important step forward for Canada’s exporting farmers and agri-food industries. It would be aimed at reaching an agreement on a method for reducing tariffs and subsidies for agriculture. The inability to reach such an agreement for the past several years has been a sticking point preventing a new WTO trade agreement from being reached. Canada’s export dependent farmers and agri-food producers need an end to the existing situation where agricultural products are among the most highly subsidized and protected in the world.

“The failure so far to reach a new trade deal is costing Canadian farmers and agri-food industries that export tens of millions of dollars each week,” says Darcy Davis, President of CAFTA. Independent analysis has shown that for seven primary commodities analyzed (beef, pork, wheat, canola seed, barley, soybeans and dry peas), the annual value of exports would increase from approximately $US 8 Billion to over $US 11 Billion as a result of a new WTO agreement. Read more here.