Potential Challenges to U.S. Farm Subsidies in the WTO de Randy Schnepf

Potential Challenges to U.S. Farm Subsidies in the WTO

Randy Schnepf

Jasper Womach

This book provides background regarding the vulnerability of U.S. agricultural support programs to potential WTO dispute settlement challenges. It does not predict which WTO members might challenge U.S. commodity subsidies, nor will the likelihood that such challenges be brought. Instead, this book reviews the general criteria for successfully challenging a farm subsidy program, and then uses available data and published economic analyses to weigh U.S. farm programs against these criteria.

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Cuprins

Preface; Introduction; Report Overview and Disclaimer; Recent Developments: WTO Challenges of U.S. Farm Programs; WTO Commitments, Rules, and Challenges; Overview; WTO Agreements; Agricultural Policy Reform Commitments; WTO Subsidy Challenges Under the Peace Clause; Subsidies Under The SCM Agreement; The Peace Clause; Brazils WTO Case Against the U.S. Cotton Program; First Ruling: Peace Clause Violation; Second Finding: Prohibited Subsidies; Third Finding: Serious Prejudice; Post-Peace-Clause DSU Challenges; U.S. Farm Program Subsidies; Overview; U.S. Domestic Support Outlays and Notifications; Farm Support Programs; Program Commodities; Which U.S. Program Crops Might Be Vulnerable to WTO Challenge?; How Important Are Farm Subsidies Relative to the Commoditys Market Returns?; How Important Are Farm Subsidies Relative to the Commoditys Costs of Production?; Which Programs Provide Most of the Farm Subsidies for the Commodity?; How Important Is U.S. Production and Trade for an Identified Commodity Relative to World Markets?; Marketing Loan Benefits as Export Subsidies; Reducing Vulnerability to WTO Challenge; WTO Remedies; What Constitutes an Acceptable Subsidy?; Decoupled Program Support; Fully Decoupled Direct Payments; Whole Farm Revenue Insurance Type Programs; Green Payments; New Farm Bill; Program Buyout; References; Appendix A. Review of Economic Studies of Causal Linkage: U.S. Farm Policy vs. World Markets; Steinberg and Josling (2003); Sumner (2003); Sumner (2005); FAPRI (2005); Oxfam Briefing Paper No. 81 (2005); ABARE (2006); Index.