JOB/AG/134  
 
17 May 2018  
(18-2950) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Agriculture  
Special S ession  Original: English  
 
THE WAY FORWARD  
CIRCULATED ON BEHALF  OF THE FOLLOWING CAI RNS GROUP MEMBERS: A USTRALIA, 
ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, C ANADA, CHILE, COLOMB IA, COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, NEW ZEALA ND, 
PAKISTAN, PARAGUAY, PERU, THAILAND, URUG UAY AND VIET NAM  
The following communication, dated 16 May 201 8, is being circulated at the request of the 
aforementioned supporting Members.  
 
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The following comments are provided by Members of the Cairns Group on the way forward in the 
agricultural negoti ations in 2018 and beyond. This statement is without prejudice to the individual 
views expressed by Cairns Group M embers in their consultations with the Chair.  
 
Processes  
1.  The Cairns Group was disappointed with the lack of an outcome at MC11; however, we ar e 
committed to working towards achieving progress and outcomes at MC12 and beyond. We believe 
improvements can be made to the negotiating process, to give ourselves the best possible chance 
at achieving these outcomes.  
2.  Firstly, it is clear that we need to "restart " negotiations. We believe priority should be placed on 
technical engagements, and on Chair -driven consultations on specific topics to build 
understanding, consensus, and momentum . It should be ensured that the process is inclusive and 
open to all Members. Members should be encouraged to submit detailed technical papers to allow 
for in -depth discussions at the C ommittee on Agriculture in Special Session .   
3.  Seminars and workshops can help deepen the technical engagement between Members on 
agriculture . However, while seminars and workshops can be useful to advance negotiations, they 
can never be seen as a substitute for negotiations. To be effective, educational activities should 
remain focused on how improvements to WTO rules, and particularly the Agr eement on 
Agriculture, can help tackle the challenges affecting farmers, traders, and consumers. We need to 
make sure that we are constantly reviewing – and negotiating – how we can address the 
challenges identified in seminars through the continuation of the reform process.  
Timelines  
4.  While reflection can help us understand the problems encountered in the past, so we can better 
prepare for the future, reflection is not a process that needs occur in isolation. It is now five 
months since MC11, and there is n o need to stall our work further.  
5.  The Cairns Group notes that the mandate for negotiations under the Agreement on Agriculture 
has not lapsed, and so negotiations continue. Our stakeholders expect no less, since agriculture 
remains the most important unfin ished business from the Uruguay Round.  
6.  We should be working to establish a work program for our negotiations – including the areas 
for focus for MC12. This work program should include realistic milestones to avoid back -loading the 
agenda in the lead -up to MC12.  JOB/AG/134  
 
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  7.  For MC12, we should be looking for a concrete step forward in the reform process which sets 
the scene for comprehensive action at MC13 across agriculture.   
The Negotiations  
8.  As per the Cairns Group 's Objectives for MC11 and Beyond1; the October 2017 joint ministerial 
statement with the EU2; and in the 40th Cairns Group Ministerial Statement3 delivered at MC11 – 
the Cairns Group underscores our strong interest in addressing the inherent risks to global 
agricultural trade and food security caused by the accumulation of excessive domestic support 
entitlements.  
9.  The entitlements for trade -distorting domes tic support by just nine major M embers un der 
Article 6.3 and 6.4 of the A greement alone will reach an estimated US D 1 trillion by 2030.4 We 
must further our work to create new disciplines on domestic support now, in order to prevent the 
continue d accumulation of massi ve trade -distorting support entitlements which could be used to 
devastating effect on world markets in years to come.  
10.  The Cairns Group is also open to exploring any ideas across all pillars which help progress the 
reform objectives of Article 20 of the Agr eement on Agriculture. Market Access is an area where no 
progress has been made since the Uruguay Round, and protection remains substantially higher 
than for industrial products. The Cairns Group believes progress is achievable in this area. In spite 
of the successes at MC10, unfinished business also remains in Expor t Competition and Cairns 
Group M embers will continue to look for ways to strengthen disciplines.  
11.  The main priority of the Cairns Group remains to move forward on agricultural trade reform, 
which continues to lag behind other negotiating areas in the WTO and remains one of the most 
distorted sectors in global trade. We need to build on our achievements from MC10 on export 
competition to make progress across the full suite of agricultural negotiat ing areas. Acknowledging 
that some areas will be harder than others, we need to find a way forward which ensures that all 
Members make a contribution and believe the outcome is a "win-win".  
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1 JOB/AG/91 . 
2 http://cairnsgroup.org/Pages/joint -ministerial -statement -on-next-steps -in-wto-agricultural -
reform.aspx . 
3 http://cairnsgroup.org/Pages/171211 -statement -of-the-40th-cairns -group -ministerial -meeting.aspx . 
4 RD/AG/63 .