NZ Farmers Represented At Cairns Group Meeting

13 April 2007

NZ Farmers Represented At Cairns Group Meeting

Federated Farmers' members will be represented during the Cairns Group farm leaders meeting of agricultural exporting countries in Pakistan next week.

Federation President Charlie Pedersen and Vice-President Don Nicolson will attend the meeting in Lahore on Monday and Tuesday (April 16-17).

The meeting includes an update on the World Trade Organisation negotiations, discussion on the Doha development agenda, bilateral meetings, and formation of a joint communiqué.

The communiqué will be issued ahead of a get-together of trade ministers from Cairns Group countries, also meeting in Lahore.

The Cairns Group is a coalition of 19 agricultural exporting countries. It is a diverse coalition bringing together developed and developing countries from Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region.

The Cairns Group has been an influential voice in the agricultural reform debate since its formation in 1986 and has continued to play a key role in pressing the WTO membership to meet in full the far-reaching mandate set in Doha.

Mr Pedersen and Mr Nicolson then fly to Washington DC for meetings with decision makers involved in the U.S. Farm Bill, which continues the trade-distorting subsidisation of U.S. farmers.

ENDS

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