National Cotton Council Chairman Allen Helms, producer from Clarkedale, AR, thanked Senator Chambliss Saxby Chambliss, chairman of the Agriculture, Forestry and Nutrition Committee, for his insightful comments concerning ongoing World Trade Organization trade negotiations and for his support of U.S. negotiators in the face of continued grandstanding by the European Union.
“Senator Chambliss has steadfastly communicated that the aggressive U.S. proposal tabled last October is a package that links any reductions in domestic agricultural support to equivalent increases in market access,” Helms said. “The EU has never adequately responded to that proposal. Senator Chambliss has made it clear that by failing to table a meaningful offer on market access the EU is jeopardizing the round. The U.S. should not provide unilateral concessions in these negotiations. All our trading partners need to make substantial commitments on a par with that tabled by the United States if they wish to achieve an agreement.”