Considering the importance of world trade to farmers, it is more than a little ironic that agricultural issues today represent the biggest obstacle to expanded world trade agreements. Just last month, the leaders from the 34 Western Hemisphere nations met in Quebec. It s one of the most ambitious trade agreements ever proposed. But the document approved in Quebec is a very long list of issues that have to be settled if the agreement is to go into effect as scheduled at the end of 2005. In fact, I m a firm believer that there won t be a successful conclusion to any multi-lateral trade talks unless there is substantial agreement on agricultural issues.
Agriculture is, by far, the defining trade problem for much of the world.
They are simply not interested in a trade agreement that does not open agricultural markets. The FTAA is in its infancy. But the WTO world trade talks go back many years. They go back at least to the initial GATT Uruguay Round of talks in 1986, where I was privileged to participate. We ve seen remarkable progress since then.