[env-trinity] Sacramento Bee Editorial

[Byron]

Editorial: Cut farm subsidies now


U.S., Europe must take bold action



Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, October 27, 2005 
Story appeared in Editorials section, Page B8
<http://www.sacbee.com/content/print_edition/#EDITORIALS> 


On their own, no president and no U.S. Congress will have the political will
to slash the billions in subsidies that flow to farmers and agribusinesses
in key electoral states. The ending of subsidies, and the beginning of a
fairer market, will only happen through an international deal that calls for
mutual disarmament, a simultaneous phaseout here and in Europe. 

Fitful negotiations toward that end have been going on in Europe, so far
with minimal success. Everyone seems to agree on the principle of lowering
subsidies, but consensus remains elusive. That must end if progress toward a
new global trade agreement is to be made at a crucial meeting in Hong Kong
in December. 

U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman has called for eliminating all
agricultural subsidies and all agricultural tariffs for all 141 member
countries of the World Trade Organization within 10 years. The United States
spends about $19 billion yearly on farm subsidies. If various price supports
and other low-cost water contracts were counted as subsidies and quantified,
the figure would be much higher. 

It would take years for free trade to sort out the "winners" and "losers."
Undoubtedly there would be hardship for farmers of certain commodities
during the transition. In California, where most crops (rice and certain
cotton varieties are notable exceptions) have no subsidies, the transition
may be easier. But making this transition is necessary, not only for this
and other rich countries but also for the developing world. Farmers there
can't compete against the developed countries' subsidies. Aid to these
countries is no substitute for free trade. 

Bush, a president in a second term who doesn't have to worry about
re-election, is well positioned to make a deal. Congress, which has lost its
fiscal compass and can't balance a budget, could desperately use an example
of prudent cost cutting. And if France would stop trying to rein in a
European Union trade commissioner who seems open to U.S. proposals, real
progress could be made. Leadership would help, starting with the president.

 

Byron Leydecker, 

Chair, Friends of Trinity River

Consultant, California Trout, Inc.

PO Box 2327

Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327

415 383 4810 ph

415 383 9562 fx

bwl3 at comcast.net

bleydecker at stanfordalumni.org (secondary)

http://www.fotr.org

http://caltrout.org

 

 

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