. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/GC/W/111
11 November 1998
(98-4451)
Original:  English
WTO AGRICULTURE NEGOTIATIONS
Communication from Australia
The following communication, dated 10 November, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Australia.
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The preparatory process agreed to by WTO Members in the Declaration of the second WTO
Ministerial Conference must deliver by the third WTO Ministerial Conference an appropriateministerial decision on the resumption of the agricu lture negotiations, as mandated under Article 20 of
the WTO Agreement on Agriculture.   This decision must address the scope, structure and timeframe
for the negotiations.
I. SCOPE
1. The decision on the agriculture negotiations will need to identify objectives for the
negotiations.  The new negotiations will continue the reform process begun by the Uruguay Round. It
is 12 years since the long-term objectives for the Uruguay Round negotiations on agriculture were set.
The new negotiations must be ambitious to deliver the long-term objectives of the Uruguay Round.
2. The Agreement on Agriculture  provides the basic scope of the negotiations.  Article 20
requires that negotiations continue the process of substantial progressive reductions in support and
protection initiated by the Uruguay Round negotiations.   The preamble to the Agreement recalls thatthe long-term objective of reform of trade in agriculture agreed at the mid-term review of the Uruguay
Round "is to establish a fair and market-oriented agricultural trading system" and that this be achieved
through "commitments on support and protection and through the establishment of strengthened and
more operationally effective GATT rules and disciplines".  A central part of the agricultural
negotiations will thus be further, specific commitments in the three reform areas of market access,domestic support and export subsidies.
3. If it is to adequately meet the requirements of the Agreement on Agriculture as set out in the
preamble and Article 20, the negotiations will also need to address how and when agriculture can be
subjected fully to the GATT (1994) and other relevant WTO agreements.  It may also need to address
issues which currently lie outside the realm of the Agreement on Agriculture.  Members have raised anumber of issues that have negatively affected and will continue to affect the implementation of
reductions in support and protection, such as tariff quota administration.
II. STRUCTURE
4. The structure of the agriculture negotiations will need to be specified.    This will require
addressing how and in what bodies agricultural trade issues will be negotiated, and the chairing ofsuch negotiating bodies.WT/GC/W/111
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III. TIME-FRAME
5. The negotiations are mandated to begin before the end of 1999.  Setting a time-frame for the
completion of the agriculture negotiations will be important to ensure that they are completed
expeditiously.   In this context, some Members have noted the relevance of the 2003 expiry date for
the provisions  of Article 13 of the Agreement on Agriculture (the "peace clause").
6. Also important will be the setting of deadlines within the overall time-frame.   These
negotiating deadlines should be specified in the decision launching the negotiations.  It will also be
important to provide a mechanism for Member s to review progress in the negotiations.
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