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World farmers demand leadership from the Cairns group


26/02/2004 -

World farm leaders have demanded strong leadership on trade talks by the Cairns group of agricultural free-trading nations.

In an official communique released by the Cairns Group Farm Leaders, the farmers said world trade ministers had to agree on major cuts to agricultural protection.

The Cairns group, chaired by Australia, is meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica, this week in a bid to find new ways to kickstart the stalled Doha round of World Trade Organisation talks.

National Farmers' Federation trade committee chairman Allan Burgess on Wednesday handed the farm leaders' communique to the Cairns group ministers.

He said farmers would not be satisfied with a round of trade negotiations that failed to tackle agricultural tariffs, export subsidies and domestic assistance.

"Our message is that trade distortions in the agricultural trading environment are hurting our farmers, their families, rural communities and therefore our nations as a whole," he said in a statement.

"The message is that this is unacceptable to us and the situation must be fixed.

"The millions of farmers we represent in our countries expect it to be fixed."

Burgess said a new trade environment had emerged since the breakdown in the current negotiations at Cancun in Mexico last September.

He said the Cairns group was in a position to bridge the gap between those opposed to agricultural reform and those nations demanding change.

"The Cairns Group has a long history of proactive leadership and we would hope that after this meeting in Costa Rica there will be a clear commitment to the Cairns Group and a collective desire to deal with the many challenges that need resolution," he said.

"We are expecting the Cairns Group to stand up and deliver."

 



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