Australia welcomes WTO ruling on EU sugar subsidies

Australia’s trade minister today welcomed a World Trade Organisation ruling that European Union subsidies to sugar producers are illegal, saying it will be a boost for Australian sugar cane farmers.

The WTO ruling, announced yesterday, upheld an earlier decision that European sugar exporters are getting more in government handouts than is allowed under trade rules and were consequently pushing down the price of sugar on the world market and making it impossible for producers in other countries to compete.