U.S. - Australia FTA Slammed by ATAC

WASHINGTON - Mar 16/04 - SNS -- The unwillingness of U.S. negotiators to open the U.S. sugar market to imports from Australia is a key problem for the U.S. food processing industry and, as a result, most cannot support the recently negotiated free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and the United States.

This assessment was contained in the recent report on the agreement by the U.S.-based Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade (ATAC) in Processed Foods.

The committee report stated, "A majority of the Processed Foods ATAC does not support this agreement because of the exclusion of sugar. Others oppose the Agreement because of inadequate safeguards relative to increased access for imports of dairy products. A minority within the Committee supports the Agreement."

More importantly, "a majority believes the proposed Agreement is badly flawed because of the singular exclusion of sugar. The proposed Agreement would establish an undesirable precedent for future FTAs, not provide for equity and reciprocity in all sectors, and not be in the best interests of either the United States or Australia."

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