Australia to ask WTO for help in barley row with China

Australia will ask the World Trade Organisation to intervene in its dispute with China over barley and expects other nations to become involved in the case, Australian Trade Minister Birmingham said (Rod McGuirk/AP)

Australia will ask the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to intervene in its dispute with China over barley and expects other nations to become involved in the case, the country’s trade minister said on Wednesday.

China effectively ended imports of Australian barley in May by putting tariffs of more than 80% on the crop, accusing Australia of breaching WTO rules by subsidising barley production and selling the grain in China at below production costs.