§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of an agreement at the World Trade Organisation with the G20 on subsidies, tariffs and the Singapore issue on(a) the G20, (b) the United Kingdom, (c) the European Union and (d) the United States. [146474]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe potential effect of agreements on any WTO member would depend on the specific provisions and the level of commitments undertaken by that country.
An ambitious conclusion to the current round of WTO negotiations, aimed at reducing trade distorting subsidies, tariffs and non tariff barriers to international trade and investment, would improve the prospects of increased prosperity for all WTO members.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had since 17 September 2003 with her counterpart in the United States about(a) the desirability of and (b) the timetable for eliminating US subsidies to cotton producers. [146586]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere is ongoing contact between UK and US officials about all aspects of the WTO Round, including on the question of support for cotton production. In view of the importance of this issue, the UK has provided €50,000 in technical assistance to help790W the four West African producer countries, all of which are LDCs, promote their case in the WTO. All WTO members are committed to substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support and we must work together to achieve that objective including on cotton subsidies.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether developing countries have produced a list of proposed products to be covered by the proposal in the Derbez text to remove export subsidies for products of particular interest to developing countries. [146721]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienNo, there is not a list as far as we are aware.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what comes into the category of green box support. [146605]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienFor domestic support measures to qualify as 'green box' under WTO rules, they must have no, or at most minimal, trade-distorting effects on production. A full list of the support categories that can qualify as 'green box' is set out in Annex 2 of the WTO Agreement on Agriculture 1994.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what comes into the category of amber box support. [146606]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienUnder WTO rules, amber box support covers all trade-distorting domestic support measures paid to agricultural producers. This means all support to producers other than that
- which is exempted as 'blue box' or 'green box' compatible (for a definition of payments falling under the blue box and green box see answers to PQs 146607 and 146605); or
- which is an integral part of a development programme in developing countries, for instance to assist low-income or resource poor producers; or
- which encourages producers in developing countries to diversify away from illicitly growing narcotic crops.
Members do not have to declare payments to producers below a "de minimis" threshold of 5 per cent. of their total value of agricultural production.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on what constitutes blue box domestic support. [146607]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWTO rules classify 'blue box' support separately to 'amber box' support as it is less trade-distorting in impact. This is because blue box must take the form of a direct payment under a production-limiting programme and be
- based on fixed areas and yields; or
- made on 85 per cent. or less of the base level of production; or
- (where applied to livestock) made on a fixed number of head.