WTO bids to agree trade deal

FARMING futures will be on the line in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 26, as trade ministers make a last-ditch attempt to cut tariffs and subsidies for farm and industrial goods.

World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy told senior diplomats on Tuesday that the end-of-year deadline for agreeing a trade deal can still be met if all 149 WTO members work hard.

On the negotiating table is an offer by the EU to cut by 36% the barriers which keep out farm produce imports.