Agriculture negotiations chair urges members to submit inputs for possible MC14 outcomes

The Chair said he plans to convene another meeting of the Committee in special session on 8 December, ahead of a scheduled mid-December General Council meeting during which members are expected to agree on the topics to present to ministers at MC14.

While he expressed cautious optimism and welcomed the ideas presented, the Chair warned that without new submissions that reconcile differences among members, his report on the state of play to the General Council could simply state that the essential building blocks are still missing to determine what could constitute a possible agriculture package at MC14.

Echoing the "Geneva First" principle - according to which WTO members should first complete substantive work in Geneva before sending files on to ministers - he called on delegations to intensify their efforts by submitting new proposals and inputs before 8 December. These should lay the groundwork, both in content and form, for an MC14 outcome on agriculture.

Member exchanges on MC14 preparations

At the meeting, which was followed by dedicated sessions on public stockholding for food security purposes and the special safeguard mechanism, most delegations reaffirmed the importance of maintaining a focus on agriculture reform and food security in the WTO. They emphasized that securing an outcome at MC14 is essential to demonstrate the WTO's relevance in tackling pressing global challenges. Several members outlined the need to set a clear direction for the agriculture negotiations after MC14.

The Cairns Group of agricultural exporting economies and the African Group reported on their continued collaboration on a proposal for MC14 which they said would serve as a first step toward broader reform aimed at levelling the playing field in agriculture and making the agricultural trading system fairer and more predictable.

Several developing economies, including those representing groups such as the African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), called for swift progress toward adopting a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security, which they view as a critical tool to address food insecurity concerns. While there are no limits on the extent to which WTO members can buy food at market prices for public stocks, support to farmers through food bought at government-set administered prices must be counted towards economies' overall limit on trade-distorting support. Some WTO members have said that current rules should be amended to take account of inflation since the last round of trade negotiations, while others have said this topic should be addressed in parallel with other unresolved negotiating issues on the WTO agenda.

Some members specifically called for further text-based negotiations on a proposal for a permanent solution which they had originally submitted in May 2022, while others cautioned that certain options put forward might distort trade and jeopardize food security in other economies.

Several developing economies also called for WTO members to agree an effective special safeguard mechanism - a tool that would allow developing economies to raise tariffs temporarily in the event of a sudden fall in prices, or a surge in import volumes. Some delegations also included cotton among the priority topics for discussion, in line with prior ministerial decisions.

Agricultural exporting economies that advocate for improved market access expressed their gratitude to the Chair for his facilitation of talks on this topic and welcomed the constructive dialogue with other groups. These members said they are continuing to refine a revised proposal for a realistic step forward on this topic at MC14. Another WTO member updated the group on its outreach efforts regarding its initiative on agricultural trade facilitation.

A group of food-importing economies that favour more effective provisions on export restrictions on foodstuffs to enhance transparency and market predictability told the meeting that they had pursued consultations on concrete steps that could improve existing WTO provisions and their implementation in this area. One member reiterated its concerns about efforts to modify current rules on this topic.

Some members suggested that MC14 might consider a targeted set of deliverables designed to help vulnerable economies address food security and livelihood challenges. Other members, including the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries, referred to the recommendations contained in a report adopted by members in April 2024 on the emergency response to food insecurity. This work is a follow-up to a declaration on the topic that was adopted at the WTO's 12^th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June 2022.

Participants at the meeting suggested that an outcome could include measures to reduce the impact of export restrictions on food imports by vulnerable economies and improved support for the cotton value chain, including through enhanced market access for cotton and its by-products exported by LDCs. It could also cover technical assistance to boost agricultural production through innovative methods and technology, and steps to facilitate the purchase of food for public stocks in the most vulnerable economies, particularly LDCs and net food importing developing countries.

Several delegations underscored the need to take into account members' priorities and concerns in a balanced and comprehensive manner, rather than focusing narrowly on specific topics.

One member expressed the view that the discussions thus far had not permitted it to detect emerging convergence around possible MC14 agriculture outcomes. While noting it would be sensible to reach a decision by December on topics for the Ministerial Conference, this member said it was continuing to consider ways to achieve something of value at MC14.