Although limiting, the WTO agreement is not an entirely closed-loop endeavor. In order to reverse or amend WTO rules, current concepts within the Agricultural Provisions section need to be addressed. Dispute Settlement within the WTO also is one area that is much in need of clarification, particularly in the criteria used to empanel the three-member Dispute Settlement Body. Generally speaking, the public needs to go to school on the WTO and determine how it can be made more realistically democratic. GMO technology has long been advertised for its now dubious yield potentials, and in particular, the planting of herbicide resistant crops has lead to a swift increase in total world acreage planted to them, in areas where they were never grown before.
Overproduction is a result.
Over supply and lower prices can in this context be addressed. In this category, one can more cogently argue that US government participation in the development and commercialization of genetically engineered crops and farm in-puts is at least questionable under WTO, and represents a conflict of interest that the developing world in particular must be wary of. The St. Paul Listening Session was the second US event held in preparation to the Seattle WTO Ministerial. As you will note by refering the WTO website, the Ministerials are tantamount to the writing or adoption of state constitutions. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only.