WTO INFORMAL DELIBERATIONS ON EMERGING TRADE AND AGRICULTURAL ISSUES

COMMUNICATION FROM AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL AND SWITZERLAND

The following communication, dated 8 December 2025, is being circulated at the request of the delegations of Australia, Brazil and Switzerland.

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Emerging trade and agricultural issues

1.  Agriculture faces the triple challenge of ensuring food security and nutrition for a growing population, providing livelihoods for farmers and others in the food chain, and improving the environmental sustainability of the sector. Against this background, many Members are adopting new policy instruments aimed at improving, among others, resilience, productivity, efficiency and the sustainable use of natural resources - including soil, water and biodiversity.

2.  Agricultural production and trade are being reshaped by these new policy approaches, which may reflect legitimate public policy goals and help strengthen agrifood systems. However, as these policies have trade effects, the WTO can and should play an important role in coordinating and supporting these reforms in order to avoid or reduce unfair competition, trade diversion or depression, higher compliance costs, regulatory divergence and variations in access to markets. While vice versa also considering how trade policy can help promote sustainable development in agriculture.

3.  Recognizing these challenges and opportunities is important to ensure that the WTO remains the central forum in which Members can address the important role of international agricultural trade and trade policy. Doing so broadens the scope for constructive engagement and progress in a key area for WTO reform, most importantly, without undermining the work of the Committee on Agriculture in Special Session.

The need to address emerging agricultural issues: relevance for WTO reform

4.  During several meetings and related events held since 2024, Members have noted that emerging policy approaches interact with diverse market access conditions and with a wide range of existing domestic support frameworks. These developments have added complexity for all Members, in particular developing country Members, who point to the lack of a level playing field for agriculture trade, and the negative impact this has on Members' food security needs, but also to the lack of positive incentives to trade.

5.  As these dynamics evolved, Members have signaled interest in examining whether current approaches to agricultural trade policies and measures remain aligned with the objective of maintaining open, fair and predictable trading conditions, including allowing developing countries to participate in international markets, while preserving the space needed for legitimate public policy objectives and related policy measures.

6.  A structured, multilateral process addressing emerging trade and agricultural issues would help improve understanding of these developments and identify areas where greater discussions could support well-functioning agricultural markets.

Role of the WTO and Objectives for work as part of WTO reform

7.  The WTO can provide a forum for examining the trade effects of emerging trade and agricultural issues, ensuring open and inclusive deliberations across the membership, taking into account the diversity of agricultural systems, production conditions and development needs, aiming at:

-_               Transparency and information-sharing on policies and their impacts in agricultural markets;

-_               Better understanding of how emerging agricultural measures affect production, market conditions, food security and development;

-_               Members' ability to pursue legitimate public policy objectives without unnecessary trade impacts or discrimination;

-_               Contribution of agricultural and trade policies to positive environmental and social impacts;

-_               Sectorial or value-chain approaches, where Members identify shared interests and concerns in specific agricultural areas;

-_               The relationship between emerging trade and agricultural measures and existing WTO provisions, including the fitness-for-purpose of current disciplines in light of existing challenges, evolving policy approaches and relevant developments in agricultural production;

-_               Cooperation, capacity-building and assistance, including in areas such as rural extension services, digital and agronomic solutions, technology adoption and innovation.

MC14 contribution

8.  As part of WTO reform outcomes, we propose Ministers agree to advance Member-driven, informal, open-ended deliberations on emerging trade and agricultural issues under the guidance of the General Council, building on recent thematic exchanges.

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ANNEX: Illustrative List of relevant documents and initiatives

1. WTO Communications

_WT/GC/W/938 – Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System – Communication from Brazil

_JOB/GC/432 – WTO Retreat on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System (5‑6 May 2025, WTO Headquarters, Geneva) – Communication from the Chairperson of the General Council, H.E. Mr Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel

_WT/GC/W/965 – Sustainable Agriculture in Brazil – Communication from Brazil

_JOB/GC/433 – The Case to Explore Environmentally Harmful Agricultural Support (EHS) – Discussion Paper – Communication from Australia and New Zealand

_JOB/GC/434 – Broad Africa Overview of Intersections between Climate, Agriculture, Food Security and Trade – Preliminary Thoughts by Dr Nombulelo Gumata – Communication from South Africa

_RD/GC/44 – WTO Retreat on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System (5‑6 May 2025) – Compilation of Informal Facilitators' Feedback

_JOB/GC/446 – WTO Retreat on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System – Takeaway Document – Communication from the Chairperson of the General Council, H.E. Mr Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel

_JOB/TE/98 – Committee on Trade and Environment – Sixth thematic session – Sustainable agriculture, Programme - Communication from the co-moderators

2. WTO Events and Thematic Sessions

Preparatory meetings

(October 2024 – March 2025) – Organized by Brazil

WTO Retreat on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System

(5–6 May 2025, Geneva) – Organized by the GC Chair

Workshop on Agricultural Trade

(22 September 2025) – Organized by Brazil, as part of the Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System

OECD presentation on agricultural sustainability and domestic support,

(24 June 2025) – Organized by New Zealand and Australia

The Role of Grain Trade in Food Security: Designing Sustainability Measures that Support Resilient Supply Chains

(10 October 2025) – Organized by Australia and Canada

CTE Thematic Session on Sustainable Agriculture

(3 November 2025) – WTO Committee on Trade and Environment

Workshop on Agricultural Trade

(26 November 2025) – Organized by Switzerland, as part of the Dialogue on Sustainable Agriculture in the Multilateral Trading System

Seminar on "Enhancing the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and Trade"
(26 November 2025) – Organized by China

3. General Council Meetings

2024: July (_WT/GC/M/212), October (_WT/GC/M/213), December (_WT/GC/M/215)

2025: February (_WT/GC/M/216), May (_WT/GC/M/217), October (_WT/GC/M/218)

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