WTO ruling ends 6-year debate
September 8, 2009
American farmers had a bittersweet reaction Tuesday to a World Trade Organization ruling on U.S. farm-subsidy programs after the organization offered Brazil more than $294 million of compensation - far less than the $2.68 billion originally requested.
The award was offered on Monday following six years of litigation within various ruling groups of the WTO after Brazil claimed the U.S. provided market-skewing support to farmers affecting their export prices.
"What Brazil is attempting to do, they're not imposing retaliatory tariffs on cotton, they're asking to impose tariffs on other things," said Darren Hudson, Larry Combest Chair of Agricultural Competitiveness at Texas Tech. "What they're trying to do is drive a wedge between agriculture and everything else."