The US administration’s latest farm bill proposals designed to skirt foreign challenges to subsidies have been unveiled as World Trade Organisation talks on the liberalisation of international trade resume.


The US Department of Agriculture plan would make subsidies safer from member challenges by countering cuts in some subsidies with increases in direct payments to farmers by US$5.5bn over a decade.


Rice, corn, and other commodities will all benefit from the proposals, already receiving the lion’s share of trade-distorting price supports. Grants based on national revenue targets would replace farmers’ price-based payments and some could opt for larger disbursements in place of marketing assistance benefits.


Critics’ charge that administration’s claims that the plan could save over US$17bn are misleading, since higher commodity prices already forecast decreased subsidies. The plan requires congressional approval to become law this fall.

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