WTO round talks worry dairy sector

The Irish dairy sector is extremely concerned that European Union negotiators are going beyond the Luxembourg reform agreement on the Common Agricultural Policy in negotiating the current World Trade Organisation round.

Martin Varley, director of policy development, with ICOS, the co-ops umbrella body, said there is a high risk that the EU negotiators are engaging in discussions on tariff reductions and export subsidies that would go beyond the Luxembourg agreement.

The scale of some of the tariff and export refund cuts being discussed would lead to another CAP reform in the milk sector before the Luxembourg agreement ends, he warned.