For agri subsidies?

Another perspective on the EU agriculture subsidies.

Dear all,

there has been growing voices about EU trade barriers, mainly due to the EU's sponsoring of their own agricultural industry.

I know that with this email I am hanging myself out of the window as we say in Germany THESE ARE SOME PERSPECTIVES ON THIS MEGA ISSUE that I have nowehere yet seen answered.

I have not anywhere read serious input on the following issues:

Europe has a fair standard of living. This goes along with high worker's wages and production costs. As a consequence, EU foods cannot compete with sweat shop and slave work conditions in "developing" countries.

Cutting down the subventions will trigger the disintegration of the european agricultural sector. Farmers are already not making much of a living. Already, the EU is practically importing all toys, electronics and clothes from Asia. Maybe some find that all food should also come from outside the EU?

Once Europe's agricultural sector is destroyed, it will not be possible to rebuild it in foreseeable time. Hundreds of thousands or million of people in the European farming industry will lose their livelihoods. The resulting free vast areas of land will be bought up by large corporations, like it has been done in the American West after the depression and "dust bowl". What and how will they produce in those areas? To their interest, whcih is ... you answer.

A further destabilized "Europe in crisis" will be more occupied with its own issues. This means the main continental voice for GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY etc will be LOST. I cannot see many G8 countries making serious efforts in these areas but the ones from the EU. Not much coming out of China and Russia or the USA. Maybe, this wil also increase European military investment in securing "their interest", like the USA.

Then again, FEEDING A CONTINENT FROM ABROAD will cost another unprecedented amount of shipping. Current cargoi fleets cannot take any more. Shipping can only be done on fuel, and fuel prices are expected to rise big time due to oil depletion. The energy costs are enormous.

All SOUND best practice counsel to developed and developing nations is to BET THEIR FOOD INDUSTRY on REGIONAL MARKETS to ensure stability, food quality, reduce production costs, minimise energy waste etc.

I can hardly see the amplification of global food transports as a solution for the 21st Century. I cannot see sweat shop work on corporate farms producing genetically altered broccoli for Europe in Africa as a solution for the local African populations either. It will affect the culture, the food culture, and not bring about prosperity.

THESE ARE SOME PERSPECTIVES ON THIS MEGA ISSUE that I have nowehere yet seen answered.

I would HIGHLY appreciate if the advocates or non-advocates of the "EU-barrier-lift as a major global panacea" sent me some information and solutions on this. I do not believe the issue is seen HOLISTIC ENOUGH. We do not need SHORT TERM MAYBE-Solutions but real ones that WORK.

Sincerely,
Eric Schneider

So many things to say to that. But time is a luxury now.

If you have a response you'd like to post to the same forum this came from: youthactionforchange [at] yahoogroups.com

ps. ideas for speech have been totally changed. I'm scrapping SE Asia altogether, and focusing on Singapore. Will be much less academic, much more narrative. But I have less than 24 hours to submit. Gotta get cracking (haven't started actually writing!).

Technorati: agriculture, WTO, trade, trade justice