Sustainability Impact Assessment of WTO Negotiations: Sector Study for Agriculture

Notes on Public Meeting to Discuss the Project Midterm Report, Brussels, 1 March 2005

Chair: Rupert Schlegelmilch, DG Trade

Presentation by SIA consortium: Oliver Morrissey (University of Nottingham)

Other SIA consortium representatives: Colin Kirkpatrick (IDPM), Clive George (IDPM) , Annie Dufey (IIED)

The meeting was attended by approximately 40 civil society representatives. The following notes summarise their contributions to the dialogue on issues to be addressed in the final stage of the SIA and in the preparation of the final report.

The EC asked for any further written contributions to be submitted by 15 March 2005.

1. The midterm report considers impacts on producers and consumers, but says less about impact on taxpayers. This would be more fully addressed in the final report.

2. It was suggested that the SIA consider impediments to countries achieving the potential benefits of trade liberalisation, such as lack of appropriate physical and institutional infrastructure for increased exports. This would be examined in the context of mitigation and enhancement measures.

3. The study should examine causes of environmental and social change, and impacts resulting from the effect of trade liberalisation on associated trends. This would be considered in the final report, in relation to the process indicators in the methodology.

4. The study should evaluate more fully whether the proposed trade measures will produce a sustainable result. The final report would address this in its evaluation of the full set of core indicators.

5. More attention was requested to sensitive or special products and tariff rate quotas.

6. The midterm report is not clear about what criteria have been used to assess the significance of impacts. This would be clarified in the summary tables in the final report.

7. Greater clarity was requested on the conditions under which elasticities allow production increases in response to the trade mesaures. The final report would add extra precision where possible.

8. It was noted that in some areas the expansion of Brazilian agriculture has been more intensive than extensive. The report was however very useful in identifying what may happen in the absence of appropriate policy responses. These issues would be considereed more fully in relation to mitigation and enhancement measures

9. Impacts in the EU were likely to vary significantly between countries. The summary tables in the final report would disaggregate the impacts more fully.

IDPM 2 March 2005