Statement from an International Hearing on the WTO Agriculture Agreement

Participants at the hearing rejected the current Harbinson draft modalities text as an acceptable basis for negotiations. Why?

• It reveals the emptiness of the Doha Ministerial Declaration's stated intention of placing development, food security and rural livelihoods at the heart of the Doha Round.
• It does not change the underlying structure of the AoA, which has caused widespread hardship for farmers around the world and discourages sustainable models of agriculture.
• Developing countries face a world in which developed countries, particularly the European Union and United States, continue to dump underpriced exports on world markets. Dumping artificially lowers world prices, destroying local food production and farmers' livelihoods.
• The current structure of the Agreement and the Harbinson text both legalise dumping, at the same time as they erode developing countries' only defence against dumping - tariffs and other border measures.
• It fails to recognize the central role played by women in food production and the nutritional well-being of the family and community, as well as the particular impact of trade liberalization on women.
• It ignores the increasing stranglehold exerted on agricultural trade by a small number of transnational corporations, which in turn depresses farmgate prices around the world.
• The AoA continues to be driven by a 'you liberalize, we subsidize' approach from the EU and US, as shown by the US farm bill and the glacial pace of CAP reform.
• It conflicts with countries' commitments under the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, and in particular the right to food.

We the undersigned call on our governments to reject the current Harbinson draft modalities as an acceptable basis for negotiations. Instead, they should work to create new trade rules that:

• Address the real source of distortions in world agricultural markets - the monopolistic power of global agri-business
• Take food security and food sovereignty fully into account, in particular in allowing developing countries to protect their poor farmers against low world prices and to recognize the special cultural role of food in many communities.
• Allow countries to introduce import controls and tariffs on dumped agricultural products
• Act on governments' multilateral commitment to increase employment by promoting rural livelihoods. In particular, taking into account the needs of vulnerable groups and women, who produce the majority of the world's food.
• Rectify the imbalances between rich and poor countries in agricultural trade

Signatories:

1. Comhlamn, Ireland
2. Friends of the Earth Europe
3. Third World Network, Malaysia
4. Consumers' Association of Penang, Malaysia
5. Friends of the Earth, Malaysia
6. RODI-Kenya (FATNEA)
7. Kerkinactie, Netherlands
8. Oxfam International
9. ActionAid UK
10. IBON, Philippines
11. Action for Economic Reforms, Philippines
12. Task Force Food Sovereignty, Philippines
13. IRDF, Philippines
14. Asia-Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty, Philippines
15. Social Watch, Philippines
16. SEATINI, Zimbabwe
17. Asia Gender and Trade Network
18. ROPPA (West African Peasants' Network)
19. CAFOD, UK
20. PARC, Palestine
21. Danchurchaid, Denmark
22. NGO Coordinating Committee on Development, Thailand
23. Swadeshi Jagran Manch, India
24. Bhartia Kisan Sungh, India
25. Simalungun Protestant Christian Church (GKPs), Indonesia
26. Institute of World Economics and Politics
27. Parto Tekerani-Kronner, Germany
28. Broederlijk Delen, Belgium
29. EED, Germany
30. Institute for Global Justice, Indonesia
31. SCIAF, Scotland
32. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA
33. Center of Concern/ US Gender and Trade Network, USA
34. CIDSE, Belgium
35. RMALC, Mexico
36. Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canada
37. CIOEC, Bolivia
38. Germanwatch, Germany
39. Anglican Church of Kenya
40. International Centre on Trade and Sustainable Development, Switzerland
41. AMIHAN, Philippines
42. Southeast Asian Council for Food Security and Fair Trade (SEA Council), Malaysia
43. APRODEV, Belgium
44. Justice and Peace Coalition, World Council of Churches
45. Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, Switzerland
46. Michael Starck, Germany
47. J.C. Michellod, Switzerland
48. Luk Tak Chuen, Hong Kong China
49. Agricultural Christian Fellowship, UK
50. Michelle Cano, Germany