Australian Free Trade Deal Done

President Bush signed the U.S./Australia Free Trade Agreement on Aug. 3.  Throughout the negotiation process, NCBA has remained concerned that this bilateral agreement increases access to the U.S. beef market without U.S. producers gaining increased access to top export markets.  NCBA’s long-standing policy has been to negotiate further trade liberalization via the multi-lateral World Trade Organization process and urge that bilateral agreements be conducted parallel with the multilateral process.

In his remarks, President Bush applauded the WTO agreement reached recently in Geneva to eliminate export subsidies.  “For the last several days, our trade ministers in Geneva have worked tirelessly to achieve an agreed framework for the WTO’s Doha’s negotiation.  This framework provides a road map for these ongoing talks.  Among other things, it commits WTO members to the elimination of export subsidies on agricultural products,” President Bush said.  “There is more work to be done, but Prime Minister Howard and I remain committed to the success of the Doha negotiations.”  The President also praised U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, saying “He has done heroic work, as has his staff, to see to it that the world trades more freely and America is treated fairly when it comes to trade.”