Buenos Aires, Argentina
25 August 1999
August to 29 August 1999. As guests of Sociedad Rural Argentina, Presidents of the peak farm organisations in Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, Uruguay, Canada, Paraguay, South Africa and Argentina met to send a strong message to the world that farmers are fed up with discrimination and protection in world trade in food and agriculture. The President of the American Farm Bureau Federation, Mr Dean Kleckner, participated in the meeting as an observer.
To kick the meeting off, the farm leaders and Ministers of the Cairns Group countries held a joint reception at the Buenos Aires Jockey Club on Wednesday 25 August. The reception demonstrated the close relationship between industry and government in the Cairns Group and the extent to which their commitment to agricultural trade reform has been strengthened by the industry/government partnership that has developed over the past eighteen months.
On Thursday 26 August the farm leaders held a press conference in the head office of Sociedad Rural Argentina in the downtown area of Buenos Aires. The farm leaders' press release called on members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Seattle in December to end the corruption of world trade in farm products and to subject agriculture to open, fair and undistorted competition.
Director of Sociedad Rural Argentina, Mr Alejandro Delfino, speaks to Javier Aparisi, Argentina Correspondent for the BBC World Service.
On Friday 27 August Sociedad Rural Argentina held an Agriculture Trade Seminar. Expert speakers discussed the domestic and international outlook for agriculture and the impact of protectionism on the fair-trading agricultural nations of the Cairns Group. The President of Sociedad Rural Argentina, Mr Enrique Crotto, opened the seminar.
Presentations on the political and economic outlook for Argentina and prospects for the Argentine agricultural sector were given by Mr Manuel Solanet, President of INFUPA, and Mr Esteban Takas, Director of the Institute of Economic Studies in Argentina. Special Counselor to the Minister of Development, Industry and Trade for Brazil, Dr Marcos Jank, gave a presentation on the international and regional outlook. Director for Multilateral Economic Relations at the Ministry of Trade & Foreign Affairs, Minister Jorge Riaboi, discussed the role of the Cairns Group in the new round of WTO negotiations. Mr Juan Emilio Gear, from the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange, discussed the impact of protection on the international grains market and Dr Daniel Miro, President of NOVITAS, examined the 'new protectionism' and its market impact. Ambassador Jorge Campbell discussed the role of power and interests in the new agriculture round and Argentine Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries (( Food, Mr Ricardo Novo, gave the closing address.
On Saturday 28 August the farm leaders formally handed over their Communiqué to Cairns Group Ministers. Ministers promised to take account of the farm leaders' demands during their two-day meeting. Farm leaders then visited a mixed crop and livestock property at Saladillo, about 200 km west of Buenos Aires. The focus of discussions with the owner of this wheat, corn and beef breeding and fattening enterprise was how to maximize productivity under conditions of low world commodity prices. Through the use of selective breeding, zero till sowing, rotation systems, soil mapping and strategic spraying the owner explained how productivity and efficiency gains are fundamental to survival in Argentine agriculture.
On Sunday 29 August the farm leaders attended the press conference to conclude the 19th Ministerial Meeting of the Cairns Group. Australian Trade Minister and Cairns Group chairman, Hon. Mark Vaile, said the clear message from the meeting was that the agriculture negotiations must start on time)) they must be concluded within three years; and they must embrace an ambitious agenda including major gains in market access and the elimination of export subsidies and trade-distorting domestic support.
In answering a question from the media, Brazil's Agriculture Minister, Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes, said that with farm prices at their lowest level for twenty years the high levels of subsidies in the industrialized countries must be stopped. Mr Pratini de Moraes made a passionate plea for disciplines on European farm support. He called the European Union a "subsidizing club of agricultural countries that must be stopped". He said that if we were not successful in reducing agricultural support in the new round the less developed countries would not be able to meet their bills.
Throughout the week and during both the farm leaders' and ministerial press conferences the credibility of the United States was brought into question. US Agriculture Secretary, Dan Glickman, attended the Cairns Group Ministerial as a special guest.
Next Meeting Report:
28/11/1999 Seattle, USA
Previous Meeting Report:
3/4/1998 Sydney, Australia (Inaugural)