Are Agri-Food Trade Issues Changing?

Agriculture has been one of the least successful aspects of the WTO negotiations, and it was no surprise that the Doha Development Round collapsed in July 2008 over issues pertaining to agricultural trade. The current agenda for negotiations is focused on the three pillars (market access, export subsidies and domestic support) that were established during the Uruguay Round. However, new trade issues have come to the fore and need to be addressed in future WTO negotiations. This special edition of the Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy focuses on different aspects of these new trade issues and represents one step in understanding the dynamics of the global market.WTO, Doha Development Round, three pillars, new trade issues, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, International Relations/Trade,

Three essays in international trade : market integration, subsidization and antidumping

This thesis contains three essays on topics in agricultural economics. The research is focused on the economic effects of different trade policies applied within the US, Canada and the European Union. Essay one evaluates the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the single EU common market. The degree of integration of these three countries in agricultural trade in the EU has not previously been evaluated. Trade theory suggests that one of the outcomes resulting from a regional trade agreement is increased market integration among markets in member states. The cointegration of the commodity prices across countries is tested using time-series techniques. This method is important as it can be applied to questions relating to globalization. Essay two examines the biofuel industry in Canada and US from a trade perspective. The development of a large market for biofuels is judged to have two main benefits for North America: environmental benefits in Canada and energy security in the US. A theoretical model is developed using the option value theory to determine whether the two distinct motivating factors can lead to different levels of optimal subsidies in each country. While the development of a biofuel industry is viewed as extremely important in a number of countries, the trade laws on subsidies with respect these products lacks clarity. This research represents an important step in understanding the economics of biofuels and the situations where trade disputes can be expected to appear in the future.Dumping is the subject of the third essay where the strategies of firms in the face of an anti-dumping action are examined using game theory. The possibility of free riding in case of an anti-dumping petition is investigated in two situations: the benefits of the anti-dumping case are considered either a public good or a joint product. The second situation can be applied only for US, because of so-called Byrd Amendment. The theoretical model developed represents an important contribution to trade policy and it can be easily applied when examining the effects of other trade or domestic policies

Everything is on the Table: Agriculture in the Canada-EU Trade Agreement

trade, eu, canada, agreement, agriculture, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

Understanding EU trade policy in the twenty-first century

The EU has negotiated numerous bilateral trade agreements with countries around the world during the last two decades. As we move into 2020, Patrick Leblond and Crina Viju-Miljusevic take stock of the changes that have occurred in EU trade policy in the twenty-first century and highlight some key future research agendas

Post-Moratorium EU Regulation of Generically Modified Products: Trade Concerns

EU, GMO, trade, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

Subsidization of the Biofuel Industry: Security vs. Clean Air?

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/11/06.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Post-Moratorium EU Regulation of Genetically Modified Products: Triffid Flax

The regulatory regime for contamination permits the imposition of import bans with neither a scientific justification nor a risk assessment. No scientific assessment of Triffid flax was done prior to the import ban. The import regime put in place to deal with the contamination of flax with the GM-flax CDC Triffid provides no rationale for the thresholds of safety established for the testing regime. The EU is consistently pushing for commercial, economic and social considerations to be included, along with science, in decision-making. Such considerations are often perceived as avenues for economic protection to creep into EU decision-making. Such considerations can, however, cut both ways. The Canada-EU testing regime for Triffid makes provision for, but does not necessarily require, the testing of cargoes when they reach European ports (Western Producer, 2010). The risks associated with inspection upon arrival made exports to Europe too risky. By only requiring the passing of the tests prior to product leaving Canada, flexibility to find alternative markets for contaminated cargoes has been gained. Thus, while costly, the testing regime for flax exports to the EU has allowed for the resumption of Canadian flax exports to the EU. Of course, the import Protocol negotiated between the EU and Canada was a one off. In a future case, economic and commercial considerations could be used to bolster economic protection. This is why science was agreed upon as the arbitrator of SPS-based trade barriers by the Member States of the WTO, including the EU. Thus, the EU regulatory regime for GM-products would seem open to a new challenge at the WTO. Of course, the political consequences of such a challenge would have to be carefully weighed.GMO, food, EU, Triffid Flax, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

Post-Moratorium EU Regulation of Genetically Modified Products: Trade Concerns

Trade in genetically modified (GM) products remains a major issue in agricultural trade policy. In particular, the European Union has sought to deny market access to GM-products. In the wake of a WTO case brought by Canada and the US, among others, against an import ban imposed on genetically modified agricultural products by the European Union (EU) – which the EU lost – the import ban was dropped and the EU put in place a new regulatory regime for GM-products. The EU suggests that the post-moratorium regulatory regime is compliant with its WTO obligations. As of June 2011, the operation of this new import regime has not been formally assessed. The first GM-crops are just now working their way through the post-moratorium regulatory system and an assessment of the operation of the regime is timely. The results of this assessment suggest that the EU’s approval system is only partially based in science and thus is not in conformity with its SPS obligations under the WTO. Hence, the new EU regulatory regime could be challenged through a WTO Disputes panel.EU regulatory regime, Genetically Modified (GM) products, Science, SPS, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,

Are Agri-Food Trade Issues Changing?

Agriculture has been one of the least successful aspects of the WTO negotiations, and it was no surprise that the Doha Development Round collapsed in July 2008 over issues pertaining to agricultural trade. The current agenda for negotiations is focused on the three pillars (market access, export subsidies and domestic support) that were established during the Uruguay Round. However, new trade issues have come to the fore and need to be addressed in future WTO negotiations. This special edition of the Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy focuses on different aspects of these new trade issues and represents one step in understanding the dynamics of the global market