Sixty-nine agricultural organizations and companies have urged the Clinton Administration to seek greater reform of agricultural and food trade policy, promote global food security through open trade and increase trade liberalization in agriculture and food through the next round of multilateral trade negotiations.

The Seattle Round Agricultural Committee was organized recently to serve as a vehicle for exchanging points of view on the negotiations, both within the agricultural community and with government officials, and, when appropriate, to develop common policy positions.  Members include varied agricultural and food organizations and companies that will be affected by the WTO negotiations.  A ministerial meeting is scheduled for Nov. 30in Seattle to launch the next round of multilateral negotiations on export subsidies and trade barriers.

Policy and process objectives backed by the 69 members include a three-year goal to conclude the negotiations, by December 2002; eliminating export subsidies and tightening rules for circumvention of export subsidies; eliminating nontariff trade barriers; eliminating state trading enterprises or the adoption of disciplines that ensure operational transparency, the end of discriminatory pricing practices and competition for STEs; maintaining sound science and risk assessment as the foundation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and ensuring market access for biotech products with the regulation of these products based solely on sound science.