Coughlan warns on WTO proposals

SOME of the suggestions in new proposals aimed at brokering a final agreement on the current round of world trade talks are of serious concern, according to Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan.

Ms Coughlan said European and Irish agriculture must not be sacrificed in any final WTO deal and clarification was needed on the paper issued by WTO agriculture negotiating committee chairman Crawford Falconer.

She has a number of concerns including domestic support, where reductions of up to 85% were being mooted.

Such reductions would be totally unacceptable and would undermine the CAP reforms undertaken by the European Union.

Ms Coughlan also expressed serious concern about agricultural market access, where cuts of up to 73% were being mooted in respect of products with high current tariffs, including some beef products.

While she acknowledged proposed tariff cuts for certain so-called sensitive products could mitigate the effects of these cuts, she said a top-line cut of 73% was well beyond the previous EU offer and would not be accepted.

ICSA president Malcolm Thompson said the latest proposals underlined the suspicion that EU negotiator Peter Mandelson had been offering more than what was in his mandate.

He called for a renewed offensive by the minister against a sell-out of Irish livestock farmers.