The Cairns Group Perspective

Ex‐Post Evaluation of the Uruguay Round Agriculture Agreement

“…It has been estimated that, in recent years, agricultural protection in industrial countries alone has been responsible for reducing the net value of agricultural exports from Cairns Group countries by more than half (Tyers, 1994). This explains why, during the UR, the CG aligned itself with the US in calling for major reductions in all forms of protection.…”

“…However, the tempo of the Round was largely dictated by the tendentious nature of the negotiations on agriculture; success or failure of the Round as a whole hinged largely on obtaining a settlement on agriculture (Ingersent, Rayner and Hine, 1994). The course of the agricultural negotiations was dominated by the sharply opposed positions initially adopted by the United States and the EU, with the Cairns Group (CG) countries and Japan playing broadly supportive though subordinate roles respectively on each side (see McDonald, 1990;DeRosa, 1992;Hemmi, 1994;Hillman, 1994;Tyers, 1994;and Warley, 1994). A 'last-minute' bilateral agreement between the US and the EU in November 1992 (the Blair House Accord) and other subsequent adjustments were required to bring the agricultural negotiations to a successful conclusion.…”