1. The WTO-Agreement on Agriculture
Achim Seiler,
Trade Consultant and Capacity Building Specialist
EU-Project: Trade and Private Sector Development (TPSD)
TPSD is implemented by
in cooperation with
and

2. The Agreement on Agriculture
Market Access (Art. 4 and 5)
Domestic Support (Art. 6 and 7)
Export Subsidies (Art. 8-11)
The Country Schedules

3. Market Access Tariffication Tariff-Reductions Minimum Market Access
Special Safeguards Provisions
Special Treatment

4. Specific Modalities: Market Access I
For agricultural products currently subject to ordinary customs duties only, the reduction commitment shall be implemented at the bound duty level or, in the case of unbound duties, on the level applied as at 1 September (Para 3)
For agricultural products currently subject to border measures other than ordinary customs duties, the reduction commitment (...) shall be implemented on customs duties resulting from the conversion of such measures (“tariffication”). The modalities of the conversion and other related provisions, including those relating to current access opportunities, and the establishment of minimum access opportunities are set out in Annex 3. The special safeguard provision may be invoked only in respect of these tariffied products. (Para 4)

5. Specific Modalities: Market Access II
Ordinary customs duties, including those resulting from tariffication, shall be reduced, over the six-year period commencing in the year 1995, on a simple average basis by 36 per cent with a minimum rate of reduction of 15 per cent for each tariff line. Where there are no significant imports, minimum access opportunities shall be established. They shall represent in the first year of the implementation period not less than 3 per cent of corresponding domestic consumtion in the base period and shall be expanded to reach 5 per cent of that base figure by the end of the implementation period. (Para 5)

6. Specific Modalities: Market Access III
Current access opportunities, which during the base period are in excess of the minimum access opportunities as defined in paragraph 5 above, shall be maintained and increased over the implementation period. However, in relation to the expansion of current access, due account shall be taken of reduction commitments in the export competition area. (Para 6)
The reductions in ordinary customs duties and expansion of access opportunities shall be implemented in equal installments. All customs duties, including those resulting from tariffication, shall be bound. (Para 7)

7. Tariffication Formula
T = Tariff equivalent
Pd = the domestic price
Pw = the adjusted c.i.f. price
T = 100* (Pd-Pw)/Pw

8. Market Access Obligations
Market access concessions contained in Schedules relate to bindings and reductions of tariffs, and to other market access commitments as specified therein.
Members shall not maintain, resort to, or revert to any measures of the kind which have been required to be converted into ordinary customs duties, except as otherwise provided for in Article 5 and Annex 5)
Footnote 1: quantitative import restrictions; variable import levies; minimum import prices; discretionary import licensing; non-tariff measures maintained through state-trading enterprises; voluntary export restraints; similar border measures other than ordinary customs duties

9. Domestic Support Amber Box (Art.6) Blue Box (Art. 6.5)
Green Box (Annex II)

10. Domestic Support I
All domestic support in favour of agricultural producers, with the exception of measures meeting the criteria set out in Annex IV or elsewhere in these modalities shall be subject to commitments expressed and implemented through Aggregate Measurements of Support calculated as provided for in Annex 5, or, where the calculation of an AMS is not practicable, through Equivalent Measurements of Support calculated as provided for in Annex 6. The base period shall be the years 1986 to A total AMS shall be calculated as the sum of the value of all Aggregate Measurements of Support and Equivalent Measurements of Support. The Total AMS shall be reduced during the period of implementation in equal annual instalments and shall be bound, at the end of the period, at a level 20 per cent below the base period level. Credit shall be allowed in respect of actions undertaken since the year 1986 (Para 8)

11. Domestic Support II
Domestic support measures that cannot be shown to satisfy the criteria set out in Annex 4 or elsewhere in these Modalities shall be included in the base Total AMS.
Participants shall not be required to include in the calculation of their base Total AMS:
(i) product-specific domestic support which would otherwise be required to be included where such support does not exceed 5 per cent of the total value of production of a basic product; and
(ii) non-product-specific domestic support which would otherwise be required to be included where such support does not exceed 5 per cent of the value of total agricultural production (para 9)

12. Calculation of the current total AMS I
Example: Member X (developed country), year Y
Wheat:
Intervention price for wheat =$255 per tonne
Fixed external reference price (world market price) = $110 per tonne
Domestic production of wheat = 2,000,000 tonnes
Value of wheat production = $510,000,000
Wheat AMS (AMS1) ($255-$110) x 2,000,000 tonnes = $290,000,000
De minimis level = $25,500,000

13. Calculation of the current total AMS II
Barley
Deficiency payments for barley =$3,000,000
Value of barley production = $100,000,000
Barley AMS (AMS 2) = $3,000,000
De minimis level = $5,500,000
Oilseeds
Deficiency payments for oilseeds = $13,000,000
Fertilizer subsidy = $1,000,000
Value of oilseeds production = $250,000,000
Oilseeds AMS (AMS 3) = $14,000,000
De minimis level = $12,500,000

14. Calculation of the current total AMS III
Support not specific to products
Generally available interest rate subsidy = $4,000,000
Value of toyal agricultural production = $860,000,000
Non-product-specific AMS (AMS 4) = $4,000,000
De minimis level + $43,000,000
Current total AMS (AMS 1 + AMS 3) = $304,000,000

15. Reduction Commitments
Exemptions:
Green Box
Blue Box
Developmental measures
De minimis

16. Green Box Government service programs
e.g.: general services; public stockholding programs for food security purposes and domestic food aid; research; pest and disease-control programs; agricultural training services and extension and advisory services; inspection services; marketing and promotion services; infrastructural services; including electricity reticulation; roads and other means of transport, etc.)
Direct payments to producers
(decoupled from production, prices or factors of production)

17. Blue Box Direct payments under production limiting programs
5 a) Direct payments under production-limiting programs shall not be subject to the commitment to reduce domestic support if:
Such payments are based on fixed area or yields, or
Such payments are made on 85 per cent or less of the base level of production; or
Livestock payments are made on a fixed number of head.
b) The exemption from the reduction commitment for direct payments meeting the above criteria shall be reflected by the exclusion of the value of those direct payments in a Member’s calculation of its Current Total AMS”

18. Developmental Measures
“...investment subsidies which are generally available to agriculture in developing country Members and agricultural input subsidies generally available to low-income or resource-poor producers in developing country Members shall be exempt from domestic support reduction commitments that would otherwise be applicable to such measures, as shall domestic support to producers in developing country Members to encourage diversification from growing illicit narcotic crops. Domestic support meeting the criteria of this paragraph shall not be required to be included in a Member’s calculation of its Current Total AMS. (Art. 6.2)

19. De minimis
All domestic support measures in favor of agricultural producers that do not fit into any of the above exempt categories are subject to reduction commitments. However, under the de minimis provisions of the Agreement there is no requirement to reduce such trade-distorting domestic support in any year, in which the aggregate value of the product-specific support does not exceed 5 per cent of the total value of production of the agricultural product in question. In addition, non-product specific support which is less than 5 per cent of the value of total agricultural production is also exempt from reduction. The 5 per cent threshold applies to developed countries whereas in the case of developing countries the de minimis ceiling is 10 per cent.

20. Export Subsidies
The export subsidies listed in Annex 7 shall be subject to budgetary outlay and quantity commitments. Outlays and quantities shall be reduced, over a six-year period, commencing in the year 1995 by 36 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. The base period shall be the year 1986 to the year These commitments shall be established in accordance with the modalities prescribed in Annex 8. (para 11)
Commitments shall include undertakings not to introduce or re-introduce subsidies on the export of agricultural products or groups of products in respect of which such subsidies were not granted during the course of the base period. In addition, commitments may be negotiated to limit the scope of subsidies on exports of agricultural products as regards individual or regional markets. The markets to which such commitments apply shall be specified in the lists of commitments on export competition. (para 12)

21. Export Subsidy Reduction Commitments by Country (Millions of US$)
Participant
Export Subsidies
Product composition of export subsidies
Base
Final
Change EU
13,274
8,496
-36%
Bovine meat (19%), wheat (17%), coarse grains (13%), butter (13%), other milk products (10%) US
929
594
Wheat (61%), skim milk powder (14%)
Mexico
748
553
-26%
Sugar (76%), cereal preparations (21%)
Colombia
371
287
-23%
Rice (32%), cotton (20%), fruits and vegetables (23%)
Turkey
157 98
-37%
Fruits and vegetables (36%), wheat (23%)
Australia
107 69
Other milk products (32%), skim milk powder (27%), cheese (25%), butter (16%)
Brazil 96 73
-24%
Sugar (56%), fruits and vegetables (30%)
Indonesia 28 22
Rice (100%)
Uruguay 2 1
Rice (83%), butter (12%)

22. Export Restrictions I
Where any Member institutes any new export prohibition or restriction on foodstuffs (...) the Member shall observe the following provisions:
a) the Member instituting the export prohibition or restriction shall give due consideration to the effects of such prohibition or restriction on importing Member’s food security
b) before any Member institutes an export prohibition or restriction, it shall give notice in writing, as far in advance as practicable, to the Committee on Agriculture comprising such information as the nature and the duration of such measure, and shall consult, upon request, with any other member having a substantial interest as an importer with respect to any matter related to the measure in question. The Member instituting such export prohibition or restriction shall provide, upon request, such a Member with necessary information (Art. 12.1)

23. Export Restrictions II
The provisions of this Article shall not apply to any developing country Member, unless the measure is taken by a developing country Member which is a net-food exporter of the specific foodstuff concerned (Art. 12.2)

24. Reduction Commitments
Developed countries
6 years
Developing countries
10 years
Least developed countries
Tariffs
Average cut for all products
Minimum cut per product
36%
15%
-24%
-10%
./.
Domestic Support
Total AMS cuts for sector
(base period: )
-20%
-13%
Exports
Value of subsidies
Subsidized quantities
(base period: 1986 – 90)
-36%
-21%
-14%

25. Tariff-quotas Tariff rate Quota limit 80% Out-of-quota 10% Charged 80%
1,000 tons
Import quantity

26. Peace Clause
The provisions provide that Green Box domestic support measures cannot be subject of countervailing duty action or other subsidy action under the WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, nor can they be subject to actions based on non-violation nullification or impairment of tariff concessions under the GATT. Other domestic support measures which are in conformity with the provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture may be the subject of countervailing duty actions, but due restraint is to be exercised by Members in initiating such investigations.

27. Domestic Support Peace Clause Coupled-up Coupled-down De-coupled
De minimis
Peace Clause
(new “blue-box” under discussion)

28. Special and Differential Treatment
In keeping with the recognition that differential and more favorable treatment for developing country Members is an integral part of the negotiation, special and differential treatment in respect of commitments shall be provided as set out in the relevant provisions of this Agreement and embodied in the Schedules of concessions and commitments.
Developing country Members shall have the flexibility to implement reduction commitments over a period of up to 10 years. Least-developed country Members shall not be required to undertake reduction commitments. (Art. 15)

29. Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Countries
Developed country Members shall take such action as is provided for within the framework of the Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Program on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries.
The Committee on Agriculture shall monitor, as appropriate, the follow-up to this Decision. (Art. 16)

30. Mandate for Multilateral Trade Negotiations on Agriculture
Art. 20: Continuation of the reform process
Doha Mandate
Substantial improvements in market access
Reductions of, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies
Substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support
Special and differential treatment provisions as an integral part of all elements of the negotiations