Stop dumping farm exports on poor countries
The EU was by no means solely responsible for the failure in Cancun: the intransigence of other rich countries and the weak negotiating process were also critical factors.
But the EU has to accept that its failure to commit to ending agricultural export dumping and its underestimation of developing country resistance to the launch of negotiations on the Singapore issues were major factors contributing to the stalemate.
The EU, with its longstanding commitment to multilateralism, has a critical leadership role to play in relaunching the talks, ensuring that the WTO agenda is genuinely pro-development and building up confidence in the multilateral trading system.
The development challenges are too pressing and the need for multilateral economic co-operation too great for the EU to allow a retreat to bilateralism after Cancun.
Oxfam remains convinced that agriculture is the key to unlocking the Doha Development Round. An EU commitment to end agricultural dumping now would send a positive signal to all WTO members and put the talks back on the right track.
This is why we urge European agriculture ministers to adopt measures to end EU dumping.
The EU faces difficult choices on agriculture but it can no longer ignore the increasingly strong voices of developing countries and civil society calling for fairer rules in agricultural trade.
Colin Roche,
Advocacy Officer,
Oxfam Ireland,
9, Burgh Quay,
Dublin 2.
