Export subsidies are one of the most egregious policies that bedevil the agricultural trade.
Common Agricultural Policy - must be maintained. It pointed out that it was in the process of switching subsidies to direct aid to farmers, which it argued did not breach world trade guidelines. The EU also defended its policies on animal welfare grounds, which it says meant it required extra subsidies. And it insisted that it should have the right to apply the precautionary principle, which would allow the EU to ban the import of agricultural products until they have been proved to be safe. Disagreements over agricultural trade were one of the issues that derailed the attempt to launch a new trade round in Seattle last December.