U.S. and EU face calls for farm reform at WTO

[Manuel]

U.S. and EU face calls for farm reform at WTO | Politics | Reuters

Developing countries and food exporters from rich and poor nations called on Sunday for the United States and European Union to open up their farm markets and eliminate trade-distorting subsidies.

Global trade in farm products was at the centre of discussions as ministers from three dozen trading powers met in negotiating alliances to prepare for next week's make-or-break talks on a new world trade pact.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

Jesus christ, finally the WTO does SOMETHING right. This would be a big step towards dealing with the food crisis.

 

[editec]

You know...

When I try to unravel the complexity of farm pricing and subsidized farming, I become extrmely sympathetic to our libertopians chums who just want it ALL to go away.

Now suppose we stopped subsidizing famers?

What would that do to the price of food in this nation?

For the life of me I cannot be sure. I AM reasonably certain that the price of milk would go up.

Honestly I suspect one could devote his life to studying this issue and still not really know all the blowback that might result from changing policies.

I AM resonable sure that subsidized farming (most of the money going to agricoporate giants) IS distorting farming markets in the third world to the detriment of the locals.

I am sure that subsidized farming causes monoculture practices in some places which force farmer to tear up crops that might have fed the local popualtions so that the farmer can sell the sugar or whatever that brings hard foreign currencies to their nation.

But as to what would happen if every nation decided to stop subsidizing crops and just did real FREE TRADE?

Not a clue, really.

And to be honest I doubt anyone really knows if the aggregate effect would be more food to the people or less.

 

[Wow]

Jesus christ, finally the WTO does SOMETHING right. This would be a big step towards dealing with the food crisis.

What food crisis? lol

 

[Epsilon Delta]

What food crisis? lol

2007?2008 world food price crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Wow]

2007?2008 world food price crisis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hahahaha I have not seen any of this in America.

Food prices have not gone up that much and there is more than enough food.
In fact, Americans have food running out of their ears.

This may be true in other countries that have dictators hording food and raising the price on their captives, but that's their problem and I could careless.

Hugo Chavez has taken the food from his people and Chavez is awash with oil revenues since he took over their oil industry!
It's simple, don't support a dictator and you do not have a food problem!

 

[Epsilon Delta]

Wow, your complete idiocy never ceases to sadden and amaze me.

Point is, there's an international food crisis and it's fucking a lot of people up. That's the funny thing about international crises, Wow, is they tend to spread and who knows how it'll affect the superpower, especially considering that it is a major food exporter. Whatever, though, you keep living on that ivory tower.

On a side note, I don't understand what Hugo Chavez has anything to do with the oil crisis, and, for your information, he was democratically elected, twice. He's not a dictator (not yet, in any case). If you want to learn the real causes (which you obviously don't, since you don't give a crap) then I suggest you glance over the wiki article.

America's Second Harvest :: Nation Responds, but Shortage Still Critical at Food Banks Around the Country

Planet Ark : US Food Inflation Parallels 70s on Ethanol Boom

 

[cbi0090]

Jesus christ, finally the WTO does SOMETHING right. This would be a big step towards dealing with the food crisis.

Well, they tried, at least and all but one final issue resolved but in the end nothing. Sucks!! That means another year or so before there's another chance. There's no "one" to blame either it's everyone's fault, France is usually a primary culprit but this time everyone screwed the pooch.

Your right it won't help the food crisis but even if everything had gone right it wouldn't have improved internal distribution which is the core of the problem in many areas.

When you have one large group of people in power in a country who covertly or not so covertly "want" to starve out and kill off another group and a world community who tip toes around the issue of the sacred rights of sovern nations, cause their scared to death that they might look like they're some kind of dasterdly aggressor of something, there isn't a whole lot you can do for them. The U.N. did, unanimously, pass legislation allowing legitimate action (military) against nations who are obviously committing genocide or stupidly does not take care of their own but we all know how that kind of thing goes.