The committee also continued to look at how to improve sharing information under an evolving work plan on improving notification and access to notified information, which developed from members’ replies to a questionnaire and began to take shape in the committee’s March meeting.

And as usual members asked each other questions about the latest developments in their policies.

The “regular” Agriculture Committee meetings deal with routine WTO work, and not the current negotiations, which take place in separate “special sessions”.

Some details

Agricultural trade

The figures on agricultural exports come from the latest annual WTO Secretariat report on how well members are participating in the trade (document G/AG/W/32/Rev.11). Because this is linked to members’ commitments on export subsidies, the report looks at trends since 1986—90, which was the base period countries used when they calculated their export subsidies cuts under the present Agriculture Agreement.

It also looks at the performance of countries that made commitments to cut their subsidies as well as countries that are described as “significant exporters” of 13 products or product groups: wheat and wheat flour; course grains; rice; sugar; skim milk powder; butter and butter oil; cheese; whole milk powder; bovine meat; pigmeat; poultry meat; oilseeds; and fruit and vegetables.

In 2007, the year of the latest available data, some WTO members or observers saw their exports in some products rise fast enough for them to be included in the top exporters lists for those products, the committee heard — Ukraine for coarse grains, India for sugar and bovine meat, Belarus for skim milk powder, the US for butter and butter oil, China for whole milk powder, and Chile for fruit and vegetables.

Overall, agricultural exports reached $573.5 billion in 2007, up from $479.0 billion the previous year, and from the average of $195.0 billion in the 1986—90 base period. For more details, see the document G/AG/W/32/Rev.11.

Australia, Argentina and New Zealand said countries should not increase their export subsidies. For example, US and EU dairy subsidies will have an impact on global prices because the two are among the top three dairy exporters, they said.

Developed countries agreed to cut their export subsidies over six years, 1995-2000, by 36% (in terms of money) from levels in the base period (21% in terms of subsidized quantities). Developing countries made smaller cuts (24% in money terms, 14% in subsidized quantities) over 10 years, 1995-2004. The limits at the end of those periods continue to apply today.

Food aid and the food situation

The World Food Programme and World Bank reported that although food prices are easing globally, problems remain, particularly in poorer countries. “People eat less and eat less well,” the World Food Programme said. It observed that food aid deliveries have declined from 15 million tonnes in 1999 to 6 million in 2007. Describing various improvements it is introducing, the WFP added that its assistance has helped bring some stability to a sometimes volatile situation that saw food riots in 30 countries in the first half of 2008.

Referring to the value of the Food Aid Convention which stipulates commitments to minimum quantities of annual food aid, the International Grains Council noted that during the recent peak in prices and transportation costs, the volume did not decline significantly.

The World Bank observed that the situation is easing, with countries lowering taxes and export restrictions although problems remain in some areas. It added that access to global markets is also essential for food security. The Bank urged countries to refrain from raising trade barriers and high income countries not to increase subsidies. Concluding the WTO’s Doha Round negotiations and various aid-for-trade programmes are also necessary, the World Bank said.

Officially this came under an agenda item on the annual monitoring and follow-up of the Marrakesh decision on least-developed and net food-importing developing countries.

Notifications and review, and related questions

The questions members ask each other under the review of notifications is part of the committee’s key responsibility of overseeing how countries are complying with their commitments. They can also ask about agricultural measures that have not yet been notified or have not been notified at all.

These included:

• Australia to CANADA on: measures on dairy products and tariff quota commitments on milk protein concentrates

• The EU to SWITZERLAND on: export subsidies on processed agricultural products

• New Zealand to CANADA on: dairy policies

• The US to the EU on: member states’ support measures

• Canada to COLOMBIA on: imports under beef tariff quota

• Canada and New Zealand to the EU on: new tariff quotas and imports under cheese tariff quotas

• The US to COSTA RICA on: Amber Box domestic support in 2007

• The US to DOMINICAN REPUBLIC on: some of its Green Box support

• The EU to ISRAEL on: some of its Green Box support

• Canada and the US to JORDAN on: increased expenditure on research and infrastructural services between 2005 and 2006; and production figures for wheat and barley

• Australia and the EU to NORWAY on: details of its domestic support notification

• The EU and US to SOUTH AFRICA on: Green Box supports.

• The EU and US to Chinese Taipei on: disaster relief, environmental programmes and other Green Box supports

• Canada and the US to TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO on: Green Box supports

• The EU to AUSTRALIA on: disaster flood assistance

• Australia and Canada to the EU on: export subsidies, including the on-going question of the calculation of the EU’s commitments after enlargement to 25 and 27 members, which still has to be certified.

• Australia to PAKISTAN on: a subsidy on freight for exports of fruit and vegetables

Improving transparency

As part of on-going work on improving transparency, members agreed that their questions and answers will be issued as an official WTO document to be derestricted after a period.

Overdue notifications

Australia continued to urge members to keep their notifications up-to-date, this time highlighting overdue notifications from Venezuela, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Rep.Korea, Turkey. The EU and US supported the concern.

Présidente: Mme Valéria Csukasi (Uruguay)

Prochaines réunions

2010 tentatively:

• 11 March

• 10—11 June (to be confirmed)

• 16—17 September

• 18—19 November