Export subsidies agreement closer

AN end to all export subsidies in the agricultural section of the world trade talks was sought by business leaders at the EU-US summit in Dromoland Castle.

The TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) made the call in a wide ranging report to President George W Bush, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and EU Commission President Romano Prodi.

It urged the leaders to unlock the political and technical impasse in agriculture, where it said access to OECD markets is indispensable for development and poverty alleviation.