Trade in agriculture
The Cairns Group
The Cairns Group of 19 agricultural exporting countries plays an instrumental role in achieving global agricultural trade reform. A diverse coalition bringing together developed and developing countries from the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region, the Cairns Group has been an influential voice in the agricultural reform debate since its formation in 1986.
Chaired by Australia, the Cairns Group has continued to play a key role in setting the agenda for the agriculture negotiations and pressing the WTO membership to meet in full the far-reaching mandate set in Doha. The Cairns Group has continued to espouse the importance of substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support and the elimination of export subsidies. Also critical to an ambitious outcome in the Round, the Cairns Group has called for deep cuts to all tariffs, an expansion of tariff quota access and improvements in tariff quota administration.
At the Cairns Group's Ministerial Meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 20 April 2010, Ministers issued a strongly worded Communiqué reiterating the Group’s commitment to working with all WTO Members to secure an ambitious and balanced outcome to the Doha Round based on the progress already made in the negotiations, including regarding the agriculture modalities.
An important part of the Cairns Group’s contribution to the Doha Round’s agriculture negotiations has been its technical work. The Cairns Group developed detailed negotiating proposals setting out blueprints for ambitious reforms across the three main areas of the agriculture negotiations: market access, domestic support and export subsidies. The agriculture text now before Ministers provides a basis on which key outstanding issues can be resolved if there is sufficient political will.
Cairns Group officials meet regularly in Geneva to share technical information and discuss negotiating positions. The Cairns Group also works closely with other groupings such as the G20 to urge WTO members to show flexibility and work towards concluding the negotiations.
The Cairns Group website outlines the Group's priorities and proposals and provides the statements from annual Ministerial meetings, as well as containing information on other issues relevant to reforming agricultural trade.
Latest developments: WTO Doha Round Bulletins