11/10/05 Wheat industry spokesman on Doha Round

Farm and Ranch November 10, 2005 At a recent U.S. House Agriculture Committee hearing to review the negotiations in the Doha Round of world trade talks, Washington farmer Chris Shaffer warned that if the wheat industry is going to accept painful changes in U.S. domestic support systems, it must see major results in other areas of the negotiations. Shaffer spoke to the committee as the elected grower spokesman for the WTO negotiations representing the Wheat Export Trade Education Committee, U.S. Wheat Associates, and the National Association of Wheat Growers. Shaffer told the Committee that the wheat industry is watching closely to make sure the Doha negotiations result in reform of the trade distorting practices used by competitors. Shaffer: "Real measurable and parallel benefits must be achieved in market access along with true disciplines that remove the monopolistic practices of export state trading enterprises such as the Canadian Wheat Board and the Australian Wheat Board. U.S. food donation and useful export credit programs must be protected. Lowering tariffs is only part of the picture. We not only need greater market access through lower tariffs but we must also eliminate the unfair and non-transparent practices of these monopolistic traders that under cut us to our grain market share." Shaffer, a former chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates, applauded the U.S. demand for litigation protection for programs that stay within their WTO commitments. Shaffer: "There must be a safe harbor for those countries that abide by their commitments." U.S. officials were in Europe this week trying to keep the Doha round moving forward. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.