US dairy farmers and the millennium round
2000
Farmers from 26 countries have discussed a wide variety of issues associated with the WTO negotiating round that started, and possibly ended, in Seattle in November/December 1999. The discussion took place just before the Seattle events. Farmers' aspirations comprise a rules-based system for agricultural trade. Other issues relate to the multifarious effects of liberalization of trade, the priority needed for developing countries and science-based Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements. The whole must be seen in the context of a World Dairy Situation in slight growth overall, but with considerable variation from region to region and product to product. Farmers' market power is an important consideration, but the world market represents only 6/ of the total. Farmers need stable income and policy needs to be devised with this in mind, especially in developing countries. Export subsidies remain the subject of active debate, together with alternatives intended to be less trade distorting. Market access needs to be extended in an equitable fashion, domestic markets need some form of regulation, tariff quotas being one of the tools available and domestic support another, including consideration of multi-functionality
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