Speculation WTO will attempt to reach trade deal before year’s end

SPECULATION is growing in Geneva that another bid is to be made before the end of the year to reach a global trade deal.

The collapse of the talks in July was greeted with relief by the Irish farm lobby which claimed the proposals then on the table would decimate this country’s agriculture and food processing sectors.

However, reports from Geneva indicate that World Trade Organisation (WTO) head Pascal Lamy is awaiting fresh proposals on the thorny issues of agriculture and industrial products before deciding on a ministerial meeting.