New deadline for world trade talks

THE end of this year was set as the new deadline for agreeing a deal on world trade talks at a meeting of key World Trade Organisation members in New Delhi.

But agriculture still remains the crucial issue in the bid by Ministers from Brazil, the European Union, India, the US, Australia and Japan, the so-called Group of Six (G6), to secure agreement.

Meanwhile, the respective presidents of COPA and COGECA, the European umbrella bodies for farmers and co-ops, Rudolf Schwarzbock and Donal Cashman, have called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to ensure a fair and balanced outcome in the WTO negotiations.