Agriculture in the WTO: Limits on Domestic Support

Schnepf, Randy

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.

关键词: Agriculture;    Trade agreements;    Government spending;    Agricultural price supports;    Trade;   

RP-ID  :  RS20840
RP-ID  :  RS20840 2005-05-10

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Most provisions of the current “farm bill,” the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) of 2002 (P.L. 107-171), do not expire until 2007. However, hearings on a 2007 farm bill could begin in late 2005. At that time, Congress will begin to examine farm income and commodity price support proposals that might succeed the programsdue to expire in 2007. A key question likely to be asked of virtually every new proposal is how it will affect U.S. commitments under the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture (AA), which commits the United States to spend no more than $19.1 billion annually on domestic farm support programs most likely to distort trade. The AA spells out the rules for countries to determine whether their policies are potentially trade distorting, and to calculate the costs. This report describes the steps for making these determinations.