[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 217 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  1st Session
S. RES. 217

 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the goals of the United 
 States in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization agriculture 
                             negotiations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               August 1 (legislative day, July 21), 2003

  Mr. Conrad (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Baucus, and Mr. Harkin) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                               on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the goals of the United 
 States in the Doha Round of the World Trade Organization agriculture 
                             negotiations.

Whereas the cap on trade-distorting domestic support available to producers in 
        the European Union under the Agreement on Agriculture of the World Trade 
        Organization is 3 times higher than the cap on domestic support 
        available to producers in the United States;
Whereas according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 
        (OECD), in 2002 government support provided to agricultural producers in 
        the European Union was twice the level provided to producers in the 
        United States, and United States agricultural support was just 58 
        percent of the average level provided in all 30 OECD-member countries;
Whereas in 2000 the European Union accounted for more than 87 percent of the 
        world's agricultural export subsidies, and the United States represented 
        just 1 percent;
Whereas according to the Congressional Budget Office, expenditures under United 
        States farm and conservation programs are expected to remain at least 20 
        percent below the average of such expenditures during the years 2000 and 
        2001;
Whereas the results of the Doha Development Agenda of the World Trade 
        Organization negotiations on agriculture are critically important to the 
        future of farming and ranching in the United States;
Whereas the World Trade Organization will hold a Ministerial Meeting in Cancun, 
        Mexico, in September 2003, at which members of the World Trade 
        Organization are expected to make decisions that will determine the 
        broad outlines of any agreement on agriculture reached in the Doha 
        Development Agenda; and
Whereas the Chairman of the World Trade Organization Agriculture Negotiations 
        Committee has proposed a modalities framework to serve as the basis for 
        discussion and decisions at the Ministerial Meeting in Cancun: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the goals of the United States in the Doha Round of the 
        World Trade Organization agriculture negotiations are to 
        achieve significantly increased market access, to harmonize 
        allowed levels of trade-distorting domestic support for all 
        countries, to immediately eliminate export subsidies, and to 
        achieve a more level playing field in the world market for 
        United States farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers;
            (2) the Chairman of the World Trade Organization 
        Agriculture Negotiations Committee has properly sought to move 
        the negotiations forward, but the proposed modalities framework 
        he has released fails to meet the goals described in paragraph 
        (1) because--
                    (A) the framework accepts the European formulation 
                of equal percentage reductions from unequal levels of 
                support that locks in place the European Union's 
                current advantage on trade-distorting domestic support 
                levels;
                    (B) while the framework recognizes that high tariff 
                levels should be reduced more quickly, it nevertheless 
                fails to sufficiently open export markets for United 
                States products by allowing countries to maintain 
                prohibitively high tariffs;
                    (C) while the framework eliminates trade-disrupting 
                export subsidies, it phases out the elimination of 
                export subsidies over too long a period of time;
                    (D) the framework contains a potentially unlimited 
                tariff reduction loophole that would disadvantage 
                United States agricultural products exported to 
                developing countries, and would also limit trade 
                between developing countries; and
                    (E) the framework preserves trade-distorting direct 
                payments under production-limiting programs that are 
                not subject to commitments to reduce domestic support 
                under the Agreement on Agriculture of the World Trade 
                Organization; and
            (3) the United States should not agree to the proposed 
        framework unless and until it is substantially improved in 
        order to result in significantly increased market access, the 
        harmonization of allowed levels of trade-distorting domestic 
        support, and a more level playing field for United States 
        farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers.
                                 <all>