WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/AG/N/USA/28
16 November 1999
(99-4978)
Committee on Agriculture Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The attached notification concer ning new or modified domestic  support measures exempt from
reduction ( Table DS:2 ) was received from the delegation of the United States on 12 November 1999.G/AG/N/USA/28
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Table DS:2
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: United States
Notification under Article 18:3 of the Agreement:
 New or modified domestic support measures exempt from reduction
(1) Full title of measure:  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
(2) Domestic legislation reference:
Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127, 4 April 1996)
(3) Detailed description of measure wi th reference to criteria, i.e. those in:
Provisions are consistent with criteria in Annex 2, paragraph 12. 
The objective of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is to encourage
farmers and ranchers to adopt practices that re duce agriculture-related environmental and resource
problems in areas of special environmental sensitivity  or having signficant water, soil, or related
natural resource concerns.  EQIP offers financial,  educational, and technical help to install or
implement structural, vegetative, and management pr actices called for in 5- to 10-year contracts for
most agricultural land uses.  All EQIP activities must  be carried out according to a conservation plan.
When cost sharing is involved, USDA may pa y up to 75 percent of the costs of certain
conservation practices, such as grassed waterways,  filter strips, manure management facilities, and
other practices to improve and maintain the health  of natural resources in the area. Payments may
also be made to encourage a producer to perfo rm land management practices such as nutrient
management, manure management, integrated pest  management, and wildlife habitat management.
These payments may be provided for up to three years to encourage producers to carry outmanagement practices they may not otherwise us e without the programme.  In all instances, the
programme must maximize environmental benefits per dollar expended, and payment limitations arein effect for cost sharing and land management payments.
(4) Cost of measure:  Programme funding up to $200 million may be requested annually
through 2002.  In fiscal year  1996, funding was $130 million, fis cal year 1997 - $196 million, fiscal
years 1998 and 1999 - $174 million.  The total Federa l investment authorized from 1996-2002 is $1.3
billion.
(5) Date of entry into effect: P.L. 104-127 was signed into law on April 4, 1996.  The
programme was phased-in over a 180-day period through an interim programme, and the final
programme rules were announced on May 22, 1997.
(6) Period of application: 1996-2002.
(7) Products to principally benefit (if any individual product(s )): All agricultural producers
are eligible for this programme.G/AG/N/USA/28
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Table DS:2
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: United States
Notification under Article 18:3 of the Agreement:
 New or modified domestic support measures exempt from reduction
____________________________________________________________________________
(1) Full title of measure: Livestock Indemnity Program
(2) Domestic legislation reference: FY 1997 Emergency Supplemen tal Appropriations Act
(P.L. 105-18); the Agriculture, Rural Developmen t, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Acts  for FY 1998 and FY 2000 (P.L. 105-86; P.L. 106-78); FY 1998
Commerce, Justice, State, and Related Ag encies Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-119); FY1999
Emergency Supplemental Appr opriations Act (P.L. 106-31).
(3) Detailed description of measure wi th reference to criteria, i.e. those in:
Provisions are consistent with criteria in Annex 2, paragraph 8. 
The Livestock Indemnity Program is an emerge ncy effort to help livestock producers who
suffered losses from recent natural disasters. It prov ides a partial reimbursement to eligible producers
for livestock losses.
Livestock Indemnity Program assistance is av ailable to eligible producers only in areas:
1 Where a disaster occurred in  a specific time period; and
2  For which a Presidential Disaster Declara tion or Secretarial Disa ster Designation was
requested as a result of the disaster and was subsequently approved.  Assistance is
available only in counties named as primary disaster counties.
Animal categories and applicable market valu es for the disaster period and normal mortality
rates are used in the calculation of national paymen t rates.  Payments did not compensate for more
than the total cost of replacing livestock losses (only 30 percent of eligible losses were covered).
(4) Cost of measure: For FY 1997, $50 million was used to operate the Livestock Indemnity
Program, for FY 1998 a total of $8 million was authorized, and for FY 1999, $3 million wasauthorized.  For FY 2000, programme  funding was set at $200 million.
(5) Date of entry into effect: The programme was first authorized by the FY 1997 Emergency
Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-18), which was enacted on June 12, 1997.
(6) Period of application: FY 1997-2000.
(7) Products to principally benefit (if any individual product(s)): Livestock .G/AG/N/USA/28
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Table DS:2
DOMESTIC SUPPORT: United States
Notification under Article 18:3 of the Agreement:
 New or modified domestic support measures exempt from reduction
____________________________________________________________________________
(1) Full title of measure: Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
(2) Domestic legislation reference:
Reauthorized by the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (P.L.
104-127, April 4,1996); originally authorized by th e Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act
of 1990 (P.L. 101-624), which was enacted into law on November 28, 1990.
(3) Detailed description of measure wi th reference to criteria, i.e. those in:
Provisions are consistent with criteria in Annex 2, paragraph 12. 
The objective of the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is to restore and protect wetlands
through retirement of land or implementation and compliance with a wetland restoration plan.  The
WRP offers landowners three options to preser ve and protect wetlands: permanent easements,
30-year easements, and restoration cost-share ag reements of a minimum 10-year duration (a new
provision).
With permanent easements (ie., conservation easem ent in perpetuity), th e payment will be the
lesser of the agricultural value of the land, an established payment cap, or an amount offered by thelandowner.  For a 30-year easement, payments ar e 75% of what would be paid for a permanent
easement.  For a restoration cost-share agreement (10-year contract), USDA pays 75% of the cost of
the restoration activity.
(4) Cost of measure:  Dependent on the annual number of  acres authorized.  Maximum
enrolment is set at 975,000 acres.
(5) Date of entry into effect: P.L. 104-127 was signed into law on April 4, 1996.
(6) Period of application:  1996-2002.
(7) Products to principally benefit (if any individual product(s)): All agricultural prior
converted and farmed wetland, and associated lands  that are restorable and suitable for wildlife
benefits are eligible for en rolment in this programme.
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