06/21/05 Commodity groups testify on food aid

Farm and Ranch June 21, 2005 A U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee heard a consistent message from commodity and grower groups at a hearing on food aid programs last week. That message was don't substitute cash for commodities in U.S. food aid programs and don't negotiate away commodity based food aid in the ongoing Doha Round of WTO trade talks. One of the those the subcommittee heard from was Barbara Spangler, executive director of the Wheat Export Trade Education Committee. Spangler: "We are keenly aware of the efforts of our global partners to dismantle our food aid programs in the Doha negotiations as you have heard from nearly every speaker. We greatly appreciate the continued efforts of our WTO negotiators, both from USTR and USDA, to fend off these attempts. And do believe they are working hard on this. The current draft language on food aid proposes ending commodity donations for cash only and makes no provision for country-to-country donations. It must remain a country's right to maintain humanitarian programs that meet recipient countries' needs and to respond directly to these needs." In addition to Spangler representing the wheat industry, the subcommittee heard from representatives from rice and soybeans. They all also urged Congress to keep the Bush Administration from shifting 300-million dollars in food aid funding away from USDA commodity purchases. President Bush proposed sending that money to the U.S. Agency for International Development for cash food buys in local markets. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.