Fears of global trade deal ‘sell-out’
The G4 group, comprising the European Union, the US, Brazil and India, is expected to continue talks until the weekend — with agriculture a key issue.
Meeting in a palace near Berlin where Allied leaders plotted Europe’s future after WWII, the four core WTO members face a daunting task.
They will address issues like how deep the US will cut farm subsidies, how far the EU will open its agricultural markets and what big developing countries will offer in return in agriculture, manufacturing and services.
EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said the meeting of G4 negotiators could not finish the Doha round, but it would determine if Doha could be finished. He has urged the 27 EU member states to allow him maximum flexibility in the talks, in hopes of reaching a deal.
However, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has warned that his country will use its veto in negotiations if its farming interests are threatened.
Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan has also stated that Ireland would not accept an outcome which lacked balance or which sought to make agriculture shoulder an unacceptable burden.
Meanwhile, a coalition of more than 160 million farmers from five continents has told the G4 members they must realise that farming is about much more than just trade.
Irish Farmers Association president Padraig Walshe has called for the direct intervention of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern over the Irish beef industry.
He urged Mr Ahern to contact European Commission president Jose Manuel Barosso and outline to him that the beef industry here is under serious threat.
Mr Walshe warned that Mr Mandelson was preparing to sell out EU and Irish farmers in a final, desperate attempt to achieve a world trade agreement.
Independent MEP Marian Harkin called on agriculture and rural development commission-er, Mariann Fischer Boel, to defend the interests of European agriculture and not allow a sell-out.
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