A statement from U.S. Grains Council (USGC) President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Sleight:

“The U.S. Grains Council appreciates the efforts of the leadership of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) during this week’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference to defend U.S. agricultural and food interests against attempts to weaken rules on domestic support for agriculture.

“In particular, the efforts to provide loopholes on domestic price support programs associated with public stockholding programs for food security purposes pose significant trade distortions. Without resolving the trade-distorting impacts of these policies, it is impossible to support addressing reforms in overall domestic supports.

“The Council strongly supports trade liberalization to help global agriculture collectively address challenges of food security and eradication of poverty by 2040. We can only accomplish those goals if we have an international trade forum to establish disciplines on market access, trade distorting policies and non-tariff barriers.

“The Council encourages all members of the WTO to use the results of the Ministerial this week to reflect on how we can collectively approach these issues in a new way that will bridge the existing differences.

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About the U.S. Grains Council

The U.S. Grains Council develops export markets for U.S. barley, corn, sorghum and related products including distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and ethanol. Working from 10 overseas offices and with 30 in-country representatives, the Council operates programs in more than 50 countries and the European Union. The Council believes exports are vital to global economic development and to U.S. agriculture’s profitability. Detailed information about the Council and its programs is online at www.grains.org.