The EC propose that measures that aim at protecting the environment should be accommodated in the Agreement on Agriculture. Such measures should be well targeted, transparent, and implemented in no more than minimally trade-distorting ways. The contribution to sustainable vitality of rural areas and poverty alleviation is another important feature of the multifunctional role of agriculture. The EC propose that measures that aim at promoting the sustainable vitality of rural areas and poverty alleviation should also be provided for in the Agreement on Agriculture. Such measures should be well targeted, transparent, and implemented in no more than minimally trade-distorting ways.
Food safety is another important objective.
There is public concern that WTO could be used to force onto the markets products about whose safety there are legitimate concerns. However, WTO Members can address these concerns through appropriate measures, including the use of the precautionary principle, provided that these measures are proportionate to the risk and applied in a non-discriminatory way, and do not give rise to disguised restrictions to trade. Nevertheless, some Members are still concerned about the way in which the precautionary principle might be implemented. To this end, the EC, therefore, propose that the application of the precautionary principle should be clarified. Consumer concerns related to the production and processing of agricultural products could also be met by providing more information through inter alia the development of labelling schemes.