American Soybean Association (ASA) President Mike Yost called for the United States to move forward to promote trade liberalization through the World Trade Organization (WTO) Talks scheduled for this November and December in Seattle, Washington. Yost, a producer from Murdock, Minn., prioritized four specific areas for action during the House Agriculture Committee hearing on WTO issues held yesterday.

"For U.S. agriculture, the cost of failing to move the trade liberalization agenda forward is unacceptable," Yost said. "With an additional 2.6 billion consumers forecast by the year 2030, gaining increased access to global markets is critical for U.S. agriculture."

Yost’s first point was to stress the importance of creating more market access by eliminating all tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in oilseeds and oilseed products. As the United States calls for other countries to open their markets, the United States must end the use of unilateral economic sanctions, which have raised concerns about the United States as a reliable supplier.

The second area that Yost raised was the need to eliminate export subsidies, including government export incentives, in the next round of the WTO. "With regard to export credit programs, we do not support waiting to make changes in the operation of U.S. export credit guarantee programs until the next WTO round. Rather, we support continuing the effort to work out an acceptable compromise on export credits in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. If the United States waits until the next round to make changes in export credit programs, we feel we will run the risk of having export credits wrongly treated as export subsidies, and therefore, made subject to elimination."

Third, ASA supported modifying the "blue box" created in the Uruguay Round trade negotiations that allows use of programs tied to production controls. Yost called for the European Union to make further reforms in its domestic support programs and for the United States to press for other countries to adopt decoupled approaches to their domestic agriculture support programs, similar to the U.S. FAIR Act.

In conclusion, Yost expressed growing concern with the deteriorating environment for trade in the products of agricultural biotechnology. "The EU regulatory agencies, which have failed to develop timely and transparent product approval and labeling regulations, should be held accountable for any reduction in U.S. exports to European countries caused by private sector actions."