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US favours sugar rivals
18 Jun 2004
The US is set to throw open its borders to cane growers in major competitor countries, after refusing to allow imports of Australian sugar in the free trade agreement. A US Congressional committee has slammed the decision to lock Australian sugar out of the FTA and said it should not be repeated in future deals.
The Federal Opposition claimed last night the US comments were confirmation of how badly Australian cane growers had been treated in the FTA, while growers called for talks to be re-opened.
Chief US agricultural negotiator Allen Johnson said the US had been overly defensive in its negotiations with Australia and that talks are underway currently with some of Australia's cane-growing competitors, such as Thailand, Panama and Columbia. Sugar will be on the table in those talks, he stated.
The Australian Cane Farmers' Association called on the Australian Government to try to re-open the trade talks in the light of the US admissions.
The Courier-Mail, 18/6/04.
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