WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/L/821 
15 September 2011  
 
(11-4443) 
 Original:   English 
  
 
36
TH CAIRNS GROUP MINISTERIAL MEETING 
Saskatoon, Canada 
7-9 September 2011 
 
Communication from Australia 
 
 
 The following communiqué from the 36th Ministerial Meeting of the Cairns Group held in 
Canada, is being circulated at the re quest of the Delegation of Australia. 
 
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CAIRNS GROUP COMMUNIQUÉ 
 
 
We, the Ministers of the Cairns Group, have met in Saskatoon, on 8-9 September to discuss 
the international agriculture trade policy envi ronment, to assess the ongoing WTO Doha Round 
agriculture negotiations and discuss other i ssues that impact on agricultural trade. 
 
Global economic and agriculture trade outlook 
 
We are meeting at a time when the global ec onomic outlook remains uncertain.  While trade 
has rebounded from the sharp drop experienced duri ng the recent economic downturn, the slow 
growth prospect can become a source of pressure to  introduce trade-protectionist measures. We must 
remain vigilant to resist such pressures and instead work to make trade an engine for development and 
economic prosperity.   
 
The benefits of the multilateral rules-based tr ading system were evident during the global 
financial crisis.  We strongly support the WTO’s role in reviewing trade developments which has 
improved transparency in the multilateral trading system.    
Globally agricultural commodity prices remain vol atile, driven by various factors.  These 
conditions create both risks and opportunities for fa rmers.  Accessing the benefits brought about by 
higher prices depends largely on being able to trade successfully in an open, fair, market-oriented and 
predictable trading environment.  Of course, as consumers as well as producers, farmers too are affected by high food price volatility.  These demand and supply side pressures only serve to 
underline the need for continued efforts on agricultural trade policy reform. 
 
The Doha Round Negotiations 
 
Since we last met in Punta del Este in April 201 0 it has become clear that we have not made 
sufficient progress to conclude the Doha Round nego tiations by the end of 2011.  We express our 
disappointment that it has not been possible to bridge the remaining gaps in the negotiations, 
including in agriculture, despite intensified work this year.   WT/L/821 
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  As Cairns Group Ministers, we share a strong concern about the current state of the Doha 
Round negotiations.  We cannot ignore that after ten years an agreement still remains elusive.  The 
agriculture negotiations have taken us far in te rms of addressing distortions.  However given the 
current challenges, we must engage in a frank discu ssion to develop a clear and realistic path forward 
to advance the needed reform and secure a fair, ma rket-oriented and predictable trading environment, 
in accordance with the Doha Development mandate, including special and differential treatment.  In 
doing so, we must also take into account that agricu lture remains central to the negotiations, given its 
importance for the development needs of developing countries.    
Agriculture remains one of the most highly trade- distorted sectors.  There is still considerable 
scope within the existing commitments of most WT O members to increase levels of protection and 
distort international trade.  The possibility that export subsidies continue beyond 2013 is 
unacceptable.  Likewise, in view of its developm ental impact, particularly on Africa, there is a 
pressing need to implement the Hong Kong mandate on cotton.  The inability to lock in efforts to reduce, or in some instances prevent, the use of trade-distorting domestic support can only be 
damaging to the trading system over the long term .  We acknowledge too that the benefits which 
might be secured through further improvements in market access multilaterally, far exceed the 
benefits which may achieved throu gh bilateral and regional trade agre ements alone.  As Cairns Group 
Ministers, the status quo is not acceptable and we remain determined to secure the genuine 
agricultural trade reforms that ou r agriculture producers so clearl y need, and which are of such 
fundamental importance to development.  There can  be no weakening of ambition on these issues.  
The 8th WTO Ministerial Conference presents an opportunity that cannot be missed to assess the 
situation and take decisions on the way forward in the Doha negotiations.   
 
 We instruct our officials to wo rk on concrete ideas leading up to the Ministerial Conference to 
 secure a way ahead for the Doha Round nego tiations on agriculture which will deliver 
 genuine reforms, in accordance w ith the Doha Development mandate. 
 
We wish to register our appreciation for the e fforts of the Director-General of the WTO and 
the Chair of the Agriculture Negotiations Committe e in seeking a way forward in these negotiations 
over the last two years. 
 
Fostering Agricultural Trade 
 
Continuing reform efforts 
 
We had a broad ranging discussion on various agricultural trade policy issues as well as 
market access challenges facing agricultural pr oducts and identified opportunities to enhance our 
collaboration to foster a more open, fair and predictable trading system. 
 
We noted that large economies including the US , EU and Japan are considering agricultural 
policy reforms.  We consider that agricultural re forms should not be put off “waiting for better times.” 
But rather we believe that the current economic co nditions should be embraced as an opportunity to 
make trade-enhancing reforms.  These reforms can have  the potential to offer direct benefits in terms 
of improved productivity and budgeta ry relief and also significant positive knock-on effects for the 
global trading system.  The current EU Common Agriculture Policy discussions and the US Farm Bill processes provide an opportunity for real reform.    
 As Cairns Group members we instruct our offici als to work together to monitor and analyse 
 reform efforts and to use opportunities to advocate for trade-enhancing reforms.  WT/L/821 
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We welcome the domestic decision of the Govern ment of Canada to reform its single desk 
marketing system of the Canadian Wheat Boar d for trade of wheat and barley, as a positive 
contribution to improving productivity, promoti ng growth and enhancing the multilateral trading 
environment. 
 
Food Security 
 
We note the FAO estimates that the global population will increase to 9 billion by 2050 and 
as a consequence agricultural production will need to increase by 70 per cent, while facing emerging 
challenges such as climate change.  As a collect ion of developed and de veloping country food 
exporters, the Cairns Group has a unique role to play  in helping to meet these objectives.  We fully 
support the central role of the FAO in the global gove rnance of food security.  There is a need to find 
new, innovative and sustainable means, including  through the use of technologies, of increasing 
production capacities and improving access to food by reducing poverty a nd enhancing income 
distribution.  As agricultural producers, the Cair ns Group acknowledges that food security globally is 
a complex and multifaceted issue.  We have pu rsued reforms through the Doha agriculture 
negotiations so vigorously because, amongst other th ings, we recognise that trade policy reform has a 
role to play in addressing food security.  Furtherm ore, we recognise that trade policy reform is 
essential to the food security and poverty alleviati on objectives of the Doha Development mandate. 
 
Open, fair and well-functioning domestic and international markets spur investment, and 
create new opportunities for growth in output and im provements in farmers’ income.  Furthermore, 
we recognize that policies that distort production and trade in agricultural products can impede the 
achievement of long term food security. We consider our work under the WTO Agreements, 
particularly the Agreement on Agriculture, the Ag reement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and 
the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures ( SPS), as well as the work 
of the international standard–setting bodies and the de livery of an outcome in the context of the Doha 
Development Round, can make a contribution to the issue of food security.  
 Accordingly, we instruct our officials to conti nue to examine these issues with the view to 
 making a contribution to food security. 
 
We noted that efforts to open up trade and ensu re predictability can be undermined by overly 
complex and restrictive sanitary and phytosanitary  measures and technical regulations, including food 
labelling requirements.  Members discussed the increasing prevalence of private standards and the potential for these to impact on market access.  We support the continued work on these issues under 
the existing framework of the WTO SPS & TBT Comm ittees.  We stressed the importance of relying 
on science-based approaches to resolve market acc ess issues, as embodied in the principles set out 
under the WTO SPS and TBT agreements as well as in  the work of international standard-setting 
bodies (Codex, OIE, IPPC).  We committed to work together to further encourage the development 
and use of international standards and greater par ticipation of developing countries in the standard 
setting process.  We also recognized the need for capacity building to support implementation efforts 
in developing countries. 
 
 We instruct officials to explore means for fu rther cooperation at the multilateral level on 
 sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical regulations including food labelling 
 requirements which affect agricultural trade to ensure rules-based appr oaches to such issues. 
 
 We commit to adopt and maintain sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical 
 regulations in conformity with our rights and obligations under the WTO. WT/L/821 
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We take note of the initiative of Canada to organize an internati onal meeting in 2012 on the 
issue of the unintended low level presence of a gene tically modified product in exports of agricultural 
commodities.  
We welcome the participation of the Russian dele gation at our meeting to provide us with an 
update on Russia’s accession to the WTO, including their domestic support proposal.  Cairns Group 
countries express their strong support for Russia’s accession to the WTO before the end of 2011 and 
we instruct our officials to work with Russi an authorities to resolve outstanding issues. 
 
We appreciate the presence of our Farm Leaders and our special guests from the EU, Japan, 
the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Morocco, the Russi an Federation, the United States and Vietnam, 
who have attended this meeting a nd enriched our discussions through their contributions.  We express 
our deepest gratitude to the Canadian Governme nt for hosting the 36th Cairns Group Ministerial 
Meeting.   
 
The Cairns Group comprises Argentina, Australia , Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, 
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Z ealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, 
South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.  
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