MINISTERS ATTEND WTO MEETINGS IN HONG KONG

The Government of Saskatchewan will participate in the upcoming WTO meetings in Hong Kong to ensure that the federal government pursues an agenda that is favourable to the interests of Saskatchewan's farmers.

Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman and Government Relations Minister Len Taylor will attend the meetings, December 13th – 18th.

"Saskatchewan agriculture is dominated by sectors that are export-oriented, more so than in any other province in Canada," Wartman said. "In order for Saskatchewan's agriculture sector to thrive, we need an agriculture agreement that allows our producers to compete on the basis of our advantages, including our natural resources, our abundance of fertile land, and our farmers' ability to produce high-quality foods that can meet the strictest food safety standards in the world."

In agriculture, on-going industry consultations have led to the development of a number of key objectives that Saskatchewan will be advancing in Hong Kong and beyond, including:

• Greater market access for Saskatchewan and Canadian agri-food exports;

• Significant reductions in trade-distorting domestic subsidies, and harmonization of the levels of such support that remains;

• Immediate elimination of export subsidies;

• Upholding producers' right to establish and maintain orderly marketing systems; and

• Improvements to the rules governing the use of trade remedies (i.e. countervailing and antidumping duties) as they apply in future to agricultural and resource-based industries.

"The estimated cost of tariffs and tariff rate quotas to our grain and oilseed producers is $29.50 per tonne, but access to new markets could result in much greater gains," Agicore United Alanna Koch said. "It's critically important that this round of negotiations creates substantial new market access for Canadian agriculture and food exporters through deep cuts to tariffs, and meaningful expansions in minimum access requirements."

Koch is one of the representatives appointed to a recently established roundtable forum advising the provincial government.

The Government of Saskatchewan established the roundtable forum with representation from some of the most important sectors of Saskatchewan agriculture. The roundtable is intended to ensure that Saskatchewan industry is aware of the state of the negotiations, and ensures that their opinions on developments are heard.

In 2004, Saskatchewan's primary agriculture exports totalled more than $3 billion Canadian, the largest of any Canadian province. In addition, total international exports were over $16 billion, equivalent to 40 per cent of provincial GDP. Saskatchewan is now the third most internationally export-oriented province in Canada, behind only New Brunswick and Ontario.

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For More Information, Contact:

Scott Brown Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Regina Phone: (306) 787-4031 Cell: (306) 536-3851

Bill Carney Government Relations Regina Phone: (306) 787-6156