[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 16, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32907-32908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-15990]


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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

[Docket No. WTO/D-24]


WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding Regarding Canadian Export 
Subsidies for Dairy Products and Market Access for Fluid Milk and Cream

AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is 
providing notice of the establishment of a dispute settlement panel 
under the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization 
(WTO), at the request of the United States, to examine Canada's 
provision of export subsidies on dairy products and its failure to 
provide market access under a tariff-rate

[[Page 32908]]

quota for fluid milk imports. Specifically, Canada's special milk class 
pricing system provides fluid milk to dairy processors at subsidized 
prices that circumvent the export subsidy reduction commitments 
undertaken by Canada as part of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. In 
addition, by limiting imports of fluid milk to cross-border consumer 
trade, Canada administers the tariff-rate quota on fluid milk in a 
manner that denies market access to all commercial shipments. In this 
dispute, the United States alleges that the Canadian measures are 
inconsistent with the obligations of Canada under the General Agreement 
on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994, the Agreement of Agriculture, the 
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and the Agreement 
on Import Licensing Procedures. USTR invites written comments from the 
public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.

DATES: Although the USTR will accept any comments received during the 
course of the dispute settlement proceedings, comments should be 
submitted on or before July 8, 1998, to be assured of timely 
consideration by USTR in preparing its first written submission to the 
panel.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted to the Monitoring and Enforcement 
Unit, Office of the General Counsel, Attn: Canadian Dairy Products 
Dispute, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th 
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20508, (202) 395-3582.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
James M. Lyons, Assistant General Counsel, Office of the General 
Counsel, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th 
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., (202) 395-7350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 127(b) of the Uruguay 
Round Agreements Act (URAA) (19 U.S.C. 3537(b)(1)), the USTR is 
providing notice that on March 12, 1998, the United States requested 
establishment of a WTO dispute settlement panel to examine whether 
Canada's provision of subsidized fluid milk to processors and exporters 
of dairy products and its denial of entry to commercial shipments of 
fluid milk are inconsistent with Canada's obligations under the 
Agreement on Agriculture, the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing 
Measures, the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures and GATT 1994. 
The WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) considered the request at its 
meeting on March 25, 1998, and a panel subsequently was established. 
Under normal circumstances, the panel, which will hold its meetings in 
Geneva, Switzerland, would be expected to issue a report detailing its 
findings and recommendations within nine months after it is 
established.

Major Issues Raised by the United States and Legal Basis of 
Complaint

    The Government of Canada is providing export subsidies on dairy 
products through its national and provincial pricing arrangements for 
milk and other dairy products without regard to the export subsidy 
reduction commitments undertaken by Canada. Specifically, Canada 
established and maintains a system of special milk classes through 
which it maintains high domestic prices, promotes import substitution, 
and provides export subsidies for dairy products going into world 
markets. These practices distort markets for daily products and 
adversely affect U.S. sales of dairy products. The relevant provisions 
of Canadian laws include the Canadian Dairy Commission Act, the 
Interprovincial Comprehensive Agreement on Special Class Pooling, the 
National Milk Marketing Plan, and the Dairy Products Marketing 
Regulations.
    Canada also restricts fluid milk imports under a tariff-rate quota 
to cross-border purchases by Canadian consumers and disallows all 
commercial shipments of fluid milk into Canada under the applicable 
tariff-rate quota. Although Canada committed to convert its 
quantitative restriction on fluid milk imports to a tariff-rate quota 
and agreed to afford increased market access, Canada administers the 
tariff-rate quota so as to deny entry to all commercial shipments of 
fluid milk and cream.
    The USTR believes that these measures are inconsistent with the 
obligations of Canada under several provisions of the WTO Agreements, 
including Articles, II, X, XI, and XIII of the GATT 1994, Articles 3, 
4, 8, 9 and 10 of the Agreement on Agriculture, Article 3 of the 
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, and Articles 1, 2, 
and 3 of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures.

Public Comment: Requirements for Submissions

    Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning the issues raised in the dispute. Comments must be in 
English and provided in fifteen copies. A person requesting that 
information contained in a comment submitted by that person be treated 
as confidential business information must certify that such information 
is business confidential and would not customarily be released to the 
public by the commenter. Confidential business information must be 
clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' in a contrasting color ink at 
the top of each page of each copy.
    Information or advice contained in a comment submitted, other than 
business confidential information, may be determined by USTR to be 
confidential in accordance with section 135(g)(2) of the Trade Act of 
1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(g)(2)). If the submitter believes that information 
or advice may qualify as such, the submitter--
    (1) Must so designate the information or advice;
    (2) Must clearly mark the material as ``SUBMITTED IN CONFIDENCE'' 
in a contrasting color ink at the top of each page of each copy; and
    (3) Is encouraged to provide a non-confidential summary of the 
information or advice. Pursuant to section 127(e) of the URAA (19 
U.S.C. 3537(e)), USTR will maintain a file on this dispute settlement 
proceeding, accessible to the public, in the USTR Reading Room: Room 
101, Office of the United States Trade Representative, 600 17th Street, 
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20508. The public file will include a listing of 
any comments received by USTR from the public with respect to the 
proceeding; the U.S. submissions to the panel in the proceeding, the 
submissions, or non-confidential summaries of submissions, to the panel 
received from other participants in the dispute, as well as the report 
of the dispute settlement panel, and, if applicable, the report of the 
Appellate Body. An appointment to review the public file (Docket WTO/D-
24, Canadian Dairy Products Dispute) may be made by calling Brenda 
Webb, (202) 395-6186. The USTR Reading Room is open to the public from 
9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
A. Jane Bradley,
Assistant United States Trade Representative for Monitoring and 
Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 98-15990 Filed 6-15-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-01-M