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Agriculture important part of Doha talksBy Jennifer Bremer Agriculture plays a huge role in the success of the president's trade negotiations according to U. S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab. Schwab discussed the need for agriculture in these talks during the general session at the 2007 Commodity Classic held in Tampa, Fla., March 1 to 3. She told the group the ag industry's support of world trade issues is an important part of getting Doha talks completed. Reauthorization of the Trade Promotion Authority is key to getting the trade negotiations completed and being able to work toward free trade agreements with countries like Korea and Malaysia as well as others. However, Schwab told corn, soybean and wheat growers that the U.S. is prepared to walk away from the talks if it requires sacrifices and concessions from American farmers and ranchers and doesn't create significant new export opportunities around the globe. "With 95 percent of the consumers of farm products being outside of our borders, having a free trade agreement with as many countries as we can is pertinent in order to compete in the world," said Schwab. Doha, farm bill separate issues Schwab said that the Doha offer is not the basis for a new farm bill. "The farm bill proposal is not a new Doha offer and the Doha offer made 15 months ago is not the basis for the new farm bill," she said. "Congress will write the farm bill. When it does, we hope lawmakers embrace a more market-oriented approach to farm policy. That means a farm policy that is predictable and strikes the right balance between providing farmers and ranchers with a safety net and not distorting the market. It also means a farm bill that can withstand a challenge at the WTO." If trade agreements are made with Korea and Malaysia, 72 billion customers would be added to the U.S. market. She said the key to Korean agreements is their openness to U.S. beef imports, which has been a challenge since the one case of BSE was found in a cow in Washington state in 2003. "We can't tell a country what to do regarding their health standards, but we have to convince them that our beef supply is safe. It is hard for Congress to make a decision about Korea until the beef issue is resolved," she added. She added that the U.S. position must have a balanced agreement to have access to markets needed by the country. Developing countries will have input to new trade agreements and new market access. "The elimination of agriculture export subsidies by 2013 would be a major accomplishment for us in trade issues," Schwab said. She said that the farm policy will not be without challenge, but they feel confident that the crop programs will support what's best for America's farmers. "The best insurance for farm policy is a successful Doha round," Schwab said. Ag groups important for trade She said that while America's farmers and ranchers understand the importance of trade, the people who represent them in association leadership and in Washington need to know that agriculture producers have a common purpose and strong relationship to make their industry prosper. Ken McCauley, National corn Growers Association president, from White Cloud, Kan., said that his organization is happy to hear strong support from the administration for agriculture as it continues its aggressive trade agenda negotiations. "Good trade agreements give our corn growers new markets, new opportunities for their value-added products and stimulate the U.S. economy," he said. The National Association of wheat Grower's also showed support of the continuation of Trade Promotion Authority to get a successful Doha round. So as agriculture awaits a farm bill and trade policy, Schwab said a breakthrough might be near on the Doha round of the World Trade Organization. She hoped that her travels to countries involved in the talks will lead to some answers for U.S. farmers. Jennifer Bremer can be reached by phone at 641-938-2342 or by e-mail at jbremermaj@hotmail.com. B 2 3/19/07 6 Star Midwest Ag Date: 3/14/07
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