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Public
FTAA.soc/thm/inf/06
September 1, 2003

Original: English
English version only / Sólo en inglés

FTAA - COMMITTEE OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY

FIRST ISSUE MEETING WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF CIVIL SOCIETY OF THE HEMISPHERE

GROCERY MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA

FTAA POSITION STATEMENT

The Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) strongly supports the Free Trade Area of Americas negotiations. GMA is the world's largest association of food, beverage and consumer product companies. With US sales of more than $460 billion, GMA members employ more than 2.5 million workers in all 50 US states. GMA recommends that priority attention be given to increased market access for value added products during the agriculture negotiations. To achieve maximum liberalization for the processed food and beverage sector we recommend the following:

Market Access

  • GMA recommends immediate duty free treatment for processed food products with particular attention to Harmonized System chapters 18,19, and 21.

  • Tariff-rate-quotas must be applied judiciously and must be phased out in less than ten years. At the end of the implementation period, all products must received duty free treatment.

  • No products or policies should be exempt from the negotiations. It is particularly important to the processed food sector that reforms and disciplines apply to all commodities equally, including sugar, dairy and peanuts.

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    Domestic Support

  • GMA believes that all forms of domestic support should be decoupled from production and the least trade distorting as possible. We believe, however, that discussions on domestic support are best reserved for the WTO, where all countries, especially the EU and Japan, will be subject to new disciplines.

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    Export Subsidies

  • Export subsidies should be eliminated throughout the FTAA.

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    Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures

  • FTAA sanitary and phytosanitary regulations should be fully consistent with the WTO Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

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    Technical Barriers to Trade

  • FTAA rules on technical barriers to trade should mirror the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), with particular attention to the harmonization of standards among all FTAA members. In addition, FTAA members should consider new rules prohibiting the use of non product related process and production method labeling as a new form of trade discrimination.

  • GMA recommends that FTAA countries develop a TBT Committee structure for consultation and resolution of disputes relating to technical barriers to trade.

    • Intellectual Property Protection:

  • Intellectual property protections with respect to geographical indications should protect trademarked goods by codifying the principle of “first in time, first in right.”

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