News Release Archive

NEWS RELEASE (CNS888) -->> AGRICULTURE/MARKETING--NAFTA
PANEL'S FINAL REPORT




AGRICULTURE/MARKETING--NAFTA PANEL'S FINAL REPORT
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Agriculture and Marketing Minister Guy Brown said today that he
is pleased that North American Free Trade Agreement's dispute
settlement panel has ruled in Canada's favour in the trade issue
of supply management systems for poultry, eggs and dairy
products.

The panel examined the "tariffication" of trade measures for
these farm products. Tariffication is the conversion of all trade
restrictions to tariff equivalents, and had been required under
the World Trade Organization Agreement on Agriculture. The United
States had argued that the new tariffs, in the case of bilateral
(U.S. - Canada) trade, were inconsistent with NAFTA. The panel
has ruled that is not the case.

Mr. Brown said that supply management sectors (dairy, poultry and
eggs) account for half of all farm production in Nova Scotia, "so
this victory is especially important for us."

He said that for the past 10 years farms in these sectors have
had to contend with the uncertainties resulting from a series of
trade negotiations. This most recent dispute had continued this
uncertainty for the past 24 months.

"While it seemed clear that Canada had lived completely up to all
of our obligations under both NAFTA and the WTO agreement, today
is the first time since the mid-1980's that farm families can
plan without a threatening black cloud over their heads," Mr.
Brown said.

He called it "a complete victory with no exceptions or lingering
issues to be resolved," after the panel ruled 5-0 in Canada
favour.

"I want to commend the federal team that worked on this case, as
well as the national farm organizations and our own provincial
staff within the Economic Renewal Agency and the Department of
Agriculture and Marketing," Mr. Brown said.

-30-

Contact: Agriculture and Marketing Minister Guy Brown 
         902-424-4388

NOTE TO EDITORS: Copies of the panel's 63-page final report are
available at the Department of Agriculture and Marketing,
902-424-4388.

trp                    Dec. 03, 1996 - 4:20 p.m.