III
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 213
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
AUGUST 31, 1998
Received and referred to the Committee on Finance
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the elimination
of restrictions on the importation of United States agri-
cultural products by United States trading partners
should be a top priority in trade negotiations.
Whereas on a level playing field, United States producers are
the most competitive suppliers of agricultural products in
the world;
Whereas United States agricultural exports reached a level of
$57,000,000,000 in 1997, compared to a total United
States merchandise trade deficit of $198,000,000,000;
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Whereas the future well-being of the Unites States agricul-
tural sector depends, to a large degree, on the elimination
of trade barriers and the development of new export op-
portunities throughout the world;
Whereas increased United States agricultural exports are
critical to the future of the agricultural, rural, and overall
economy of the United States;
Whereas the opportunities for increased agricultural exports
are undermined by unfair subsidies provided by trading
partners of the United States, and by various tariff and
nontariff trade barriers imposed on highly competitive
United States agricultural products;
Whereas the Foreign Agricultural Service estimates that
United States agricultural exports are reduced by
$4,700,000,000 annually due to the unjustifiable imposi-
tion of sanitary and phytosanitary measures that deny or
limit market access to United States products;
Whereas Asian markets account for more than 40 percent of
United States agricultural exports worldwide, but the fi-
nancial crisis in Asia has caused a severe drop in demand
for U.S. agricultural products and a consequent drop in
world commodity prices;
Whereas multilateral trade negotiations under the auspices of
the World Trade Organization and the Asia Pacific Eco-
nomic Cooperation Forum and trade negotiations for a
Free Trade Area of the Americas represent significant
opportunities to reduce and eliminate tariff and nontariff
trade barriers on agricultural products;
Whereas negotiations for country accessions to the World
Trade Organization, particularly China, present impor-
tant opportunities to reduce and eliminate these barriers;
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Whereas the United States is currently engaged in a number
of outstanding trade disputes regarding agricultural
trade;
Whereas disputes with the European Union regarding agri-
culture matters involve the most intractable issues be-
tween the United States and the European Union, includ-
ing—
(1) the failure to finalize a veterinary equiva-
lency program, which jeopardizes an estimated
$3,000,000,000 in trade in livestock products be-
tween the United States and the European Union;
(2) the ruling by the World Trade Organiza-
tion that the European Union has no scientific
basis for banning the importation of beef produced
in the United States using growth promoting hor-
mones, and that the European Union must remove
by May 13, 1999, its import ban on beef produced
using growth promoting hormones;
(3) the failure to use science, as in the beef
hormone case, which raises concerns about the Eu-
ropean Union fulfilling its obligations under the
WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary
and Phytosanitary Measures;
(4) the promulgation by the European Union
of regulations regarding the use of specified risk
materials for livestock products which have a dis-
puted scientific basis and which serve to impede the
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importation of United States livestock products, de-
spite the fact that no cases of bovine spongisorm
encephalopathy (mad cow disease) have been docu-
mented in the United States;
(5) the ruling by the World Trade Organiza-
tion in favor of the United States that the Euro-
pean import regime restricting the importation of
bananas violates numerous disciplines established
by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
and the General Agreement on Trade in Services,
and that the European Union must be in full com-
pliance with the decision of the World Trade Orga-
nization by January 1, 1999;
(6) the hindering of trade in products grown
with the benefit of biogenetics through a politicized
approval process that is nontransparent and lacks a
basis in science; and
(7) continuing disputes regarding European
Union subsidies for dairy and canned fruit, and a
number of impediments with respect to wine: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
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(1) many nations, including the European
Union, unfairly restrict the importation of United
States agricultural products;
(2) the restrictions imposed on United States
agricultural exports are among the most vexing
problems facing United States exporters;
(3) the elimination of restrictions imposed on
United States agricultural exports should be a top
priority of any current or future trade negotiation;
(4) the President should develop a trade agenda
which actively addresses agricultural trade barriers
in multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations and
steadfastly pursues full compliance with dispute set-
tlement decisions of the World Trade Organization;
(5) in such negotiations, the United States
should seek to obtain competitive opportunities for
United States exports of agricultural products in
foreign markets substantially equivalent to the com-
petitive opportunities afforded to foreign exports in
United States markets, and to achieve fairer and
more open conditions of trade;
(6) because of the significance of the issues
concerning agricultural trade with the European
Union, the United States Trade Representative
should not engage in any trade negotiation with the