Britain to push for sugar reform
Margaret Beckett, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister in the Blair Government, told a conference in London the unreformed EU sugar regime epitomises the worst effects of all three forms of trade-distorting support.
She described these as market prices three times the world level, import tariffs and quota-stifling competition and export refunds undermining many developing-country markets.
The regime has already been challenged in the WTO and whatever the outcome of the EU’s appeal in a few weeks, it is clear that unreformed, the regime poses a major stumbling block to progress in the Doha round, she said.
Ms Beckett said the European Commission is due to publish legislative proposals for reform later this year but the nature of such a reform is not straightforward. Many in the WTO will be looking for radical liberalisation.
But that raises genuine fears among many in Europe about loss of production and there are serious concerns about the impact on those developing countries which currently have preferential access to the EU market.
Meanwhile, Senator Paul Bradford told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture that in five-seven years, Greencore and the State will require a significant increase in the output of beet in the Cork region.
“For the first time in probably 10 years we will be in a position to give quota to new entrants. I hope we take advantage of this,” he said.
