FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2007
CONTACT: Geoff Embler or Matt Mackowiak
Senators Hutchison, Cornyn Urge USTR to Consider the Doha Round’s Adverse Affects on the Cotton Industry
Senators Send Letter to Ambassador Schwab, Willing to Re-evaluate DOHA Round Support
WASHINGTON -- In a letter sent to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Susan Schwab today, U.S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) urged Ambassador Schwab to consider the adverse affects to the U.S. cotton industry that are included in the most recent draft modalities for the Doha Round negotiations. Agriculture is critically important to the Texas economy and the state’s cotton industry is the nation’s leading producer. Senators Hutchison and Cornyn will not stand by and ignore the concerns of their cotton producers. Both Senators believe that treating cotton producers differently or separately is unacceptable.
Kenneth Dierschke, President of the Texas Farm Bureau and cotton producer in Tom Green County said “I commend Senator Hutchison and Cornyn for their leadership on this issue. This letter sends the correct message to the USTR that cotton producers must be treated fairly and not be singled out in these negotiations.
The text of the letter is included below:
Dear Ambassador Schwab:
We would like to bring to your attention a matter of great importance to my constituents in Texas. Specifically, we are concerned that the U.S. cotton industry is not being fairly and equitably represented during the ongoing Doha Round negotiations of the World Trade Organization.
Last month, agriculture negotiations chairman Ambassador Crawford Falconer released his draft modalities for Doha Round negotiations which included rigid language regarding cotton. We are concerned the U.S. cotton industry is being forced to bear a burden greater than that of any other agricultural sector; namely, that Ambassador Falconer’s draft modalities ask the U.S. cotton industry to take an 82% reduction in domestic support.
Texas is the leading cotton producing state in the nation and any such reduction that would significantly harm this important industry is unacceptable. Moreover, the U.S. cotton industry has already accepted significant reductions complying with the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture.
We note increased pressure from select trading partners recently to alter domestic farm policy in advance of a Doha agreement. The timing of the September Doha meetings appears to anticipate final farm policy negotiations in the United States Congress and we question veiled attempts to influence domestic policy decisions. It is appropriate to remind our trading partners that we will continue crafting policy consistent with our needs and international obligations.
For these reasons, we ask that you consider the adverse effects to the U.S. cotton industry that Ambassador Falconer’s draft modalities will cause, and address this issue in your upcoming negotiations. The U.S. cotton industry must not be singled-out for separate treatment in these negotiations. If it is, we will be forced to reevaluate our support for the Doha Agreement.
We appreciate your commitment on behalf of the U.S. agriculture community, and we urge you to continue to seek fair and equitable foreign market access for our producers. Thank you for your attention to our concerns and please do not hesitate to contact us should you need to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
U.S. Senator John Cornyn
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