HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 c1068W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of 19 April 2004,Official Report, column 129W, on animal fodder, what his policy is towards developing countries which export cereals and animal fodder. [168797]

Hilary Benn

The UK Government are committed to assisting developing countries that export agricultural products, including cereals and animal fodder, through improving market access and reducing trade-distorting subsidies. DFID continues to work for a fair and equitable international trading system for all agricultural products. In particular, the 49 Least Developed Countries have unlimited duty free access to the EU market under the 'Everything But Arms' agreement, except for rice, sugar and bananas, where limited arrangements apply until full liberalisation takes place. In addition, reforms to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy last June break the link between subsidy and production and hence reduce the damaging effect EU agricultural subsidies can have on developing countries' producers.

However, the largest potential gains for developing countries will come at the multilateral level. At the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Doha Ministerial meeting in 2001 it was agreed that agriculture negotiations would aim to achieve: substantial improvements in market access; reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies; and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support".

DFID is committed to ensure that these negotiations result in liberalisation that will benefit the world's poor.