The Doha Round of World Trade Organisation talks have reached another critical juncture in the bid to deliver a more even playing field for Australian farmers.
The Nationals and the National Farmers' Federation are urging the Labor Government to do more to pressure the global powers to give ground on agriculture at today's crucial WTO Ministerial meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.
NFF president David Crombie has led a delegation of Australian farm leaders to Geneva to personally lobby politicians from the sidelines of the main event.
Mr Crombie says Trade Minister Simon Crean must use the global food crisis to leverage action from the rich nations at the negotiating table.
"The Doha Round of trade liberatisation has repeatedly stalled due to a lack of will of key players, namely the European Union, the United States and several developing countries," Mr Crombie said.
"Breaking down the artificial barriers of tariffs, subsidies and quotas would allow farmers the world over to meet global food needs … at present, farmers who can produce more food are actively prevented from doing so due to out-dated protectionist dogma.
"It is vital that these real pressures are put to trade ministers in Geneva this week. This will likely be the last chance for any agreement on Doha for several years."
Mr Crombie said the over-riding issue for Australian farmers was agricultural market access.
"We argue that these Doha talks must do more than eliminate export subsidies and reduce domestic support – it will be unacceptable if it doesn't also create significant and commercially worthwhile new and improved market access opportunities," he said.
Mr Truss said Mr Crean was also bound to live up to Labor's "gung-ho pre-election promises" and not "roll over for a Z-grade agreement".
"Labor sold out in the Uruguay Round and seems ready to do it again over Doha," Mr Truss said.
Mr Truss also highlighted the need for the major countries to cut farm subsidies and improve market access for Australian products, but also said there should be no special exclusions for sensitive products or trade-offs of agriculture for manufacturing benefits.
"Anything less will be a major disappointment and condemn Australia's exporters to further years of unfair competition in a heavily distorted global market," he said.
Mr Crean last night chaired a meeting of the Cairns Group of countries, a bloc of 19 nations committed to free trade.
"We all want a successful conclusion to these negotiations," Mr Crean said.
"The Group is convinced that an agreement is within our grasp.
"It must be a high quality agreement – the Group was united in its message that there can be no outcome to the Round without a substantial package of reforms on agriculture."
* For more information from the WTO meetings, visit the WTO website.
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