Press Room  —  News releases

For immediate release

Deadlock in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations
To break the impasse, negotiations must resume on the basis of food sovereignty

Longueuil, July 28, 2006/ CNW Telbec - Relieved by the suspension of the WTO negotiations, the representatives of the GO5 Coalition for a Fair Farming Model, Supply Management are calling on Canada and other WTO member countries to set new negotiation positions based on the principle of food sovereignty, in an effort to unravel the stalemate in the agricultural area of the talks. The current negotiations were launched in 2001 in Doha and have been suspended indefinitely due to the failure of the 149 WTO member countries to reach agreement.

For the GO5, the measures proposed in the draft text in June are incompatible with farm policies promoting food sovereignty, such as the supply management system in Canada. "An agreement based on this text would have been devastating for agricultural producers both in Canada and in developing countries. The proposed tariff cuts would have left farmers open to unfair competition from heavily subsidized foreign products," said Laurent Pellerin, President of the UPA and main spokesperson for the GO5.

In the opinion of the GO5 representatives, there has been a lot of hypocrisy in these negotiations. "The industrialized countries, in particular the United States and the European Union, will never give up their subsidies. The only way to avoid dumping and to support the developing countries’ agriculture sector is to allow for implementing policies fostering food sovereignty, such as supply management," said Marcel Groleau, Chair of the Fédération des producteurs de lait du Québec.

Furthermore, "if the WTO wants to reach a deal, it will have to agree to regulate products that are traded internationally," said Yves Baril, Chair of the Fédération des producteurs de volailles du Québec. Mr. Baril pointed out that less than 10% of world food products is actually traded between countries. Even in Canada, the fourth largest world exporter of agricultural products, 70% of farm income is derived from the domestic market.

It should be recalled that the goal of Canadian milk, egg and poultry producers in the current WTO negotiations is to maintain the fundamental right to organize themselves to collectively market and plan their production to meet domestic requirements and ensure Canada’s food sovereignty. "Supply management has been practised in the dairy and poultry sectors in Canada for over 30 years. It fosters production of quality home-grown food at reasonable prices and allows human-scale family farms to earn fair income from the marketplace, without the need for taxpayer-funded subsidies," added Serge Lefebvre, Chair of the Fédération des producteurs d’œufs de consommation du Québec.

Quebec’s supply-managed sectors generate $2.6 billion in farm cash receipts, and provide a living to nearly 15,000 producers and their families. They also employ approximately 60,000 people on farms and in the processing and distribution sectors. "Our commodities are the lifeblood of our rural economy," concluded Gyslain Loyer, President du Syndicat des producteurs d’oeufs d’incubation du Québec.

Since the Coalition was established in 2003, it has received the support of 30,000 individuals and organizations who believe in a strong and prosperous agricultural sector in Quebec. It brings together farmers, agri-food partners, business leaders, elected representatives and individuals. Its initiatives seek to promote supply management and ensure that it is preserved at the end of the WTO negotiations. For more information, visit Web site: www.go5quebec.ca .

- 30 -

‹‹ Back to News Releases