. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  TN/AG/16 
26 April 2005 
 (05-1686) 
Committee on Agriculture 
Special Session  
 
 
 
THIRTIETH and THIRTY-FIRST (SUSPENDED)  
SPECIAL SESSIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 
Report by the Chairman, Ambassador Tim Gr oser, to the Trade Negotiations Committee  
I. STATUS OF WORK 
1. The Special Sessions of the Committee on Agriculture are conducted under the Doha 
Ministerial Declaration (TN/C/M/1) and the Decision Adopted by the General Council on 
1 August 2004 (WT/L/579).  The thirtieth Speci al Session was opened on 18 March on the basis of 
the agenda set out in WTO/AIR/2512, was suspe nded on that date and was later concluded on 
19 April 2005.  The thirty-first Special Session was ope ned on 19 April on the basis of the agenda set 
out in WTO/AIR/2551 and was suspended on that date to be resumed in due course.  As has been the 
practice in the past, each of the formal Special  Sessions was opened on the final day of an 
"Agriculture Week" of informal meetings and cons ultations on a variety of issues relating to Annex A 
of the General Council Decision of 1 August (the Agreed Framework).  
2. At the informal Special Session held before  the meeting on 18 March a number of issues from 
the Agreed Framework were discussed.  These issu es included:  implementation of export competition 
elements;  tariff escalation, tariff simplificati on and the special agricultural safeguard;  least-
developed countries;  recently-acceded Members;  monitoring and surveillance;  and, finally, the 
issues of interest but not agreed (sectoral in itiatives, differential export taxes and GIs).  The 
preliminary examination of these issues completed the first readings of all issues arising from the 
Agreed Framework.  The informal Special Sessions had been used to conduct these first readings and 
with their completion it was not necessary to hold an informal Special Session during the Agriculture 
Week that started on Wednesday 13 April.  
3. The informal open-ended consu ltations held during the Agriculture weeks of 14 to 19 March 
and 13 to 19 April addressed a wide range of issues including:  the formulae for reductions in trade-distorting domestic support;  the total value of agriculture production;  food aid;  state trading enterprises;  and Blue Box criteria. 
4. During both Agriculture Weeks intensive consulta tions were held with a group of delegations 
concerning a methodology for calculating ad valorem  equivalents for the purpose of applying a tiered 
tariff reduction formula.  Although some progress was made, these consultations did not succeed in 
developing a complete methodology applicable to all non- ad valorem  tariffs for the Members taking 
part in my consultations.  As a result, I was una ble to present to the wider Membership a methodology 
for their consideration.  At the formal Special Session on 18 March and at the formal Special Session 
which was suspended on 19 April I outlined the stat us of these consultations and emphasised the need 
to complete this work in the very near future.  On 19 April I also reported on the first and second 
meetings of the Sub-Committee on Cotton and informed  delegations that the next meeting of the Sub-
Committee would take place on 29 April.  TN/AG/16 
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 II. OUTSTANDING ISSUES 
5. The informal Special Session held on 16 and 17 March completed the first reading of all 
issues arising from the Agreed Framework.  Howeve r, further progress will require intensive informal 
consultations on many issues and much more work is needed in many areas, particularly on market access.  To make progress on market  access a methodology for estimating ad valorem  equivalents of 
non-ad valorem  tariffs for the purpose of applying a tier ed tariff reduction formula is needed.   
III. FURTHER WORK 
6. Another formal Special Session will take place during the week beginning Monday 30 May.  
As has been the practice in the past the week will in clude informal consultations on a variety of issues 
in the Agreed Framework. 
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