P.M. BRIEFING : Farm Chief Urges Trade Reform

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Clayton K. Yeutter called today for countries to push for farm trade reform in the Uruguay Round of multinational trade talks.

In a speech to Hong Kong’s American Chamber of Commerce, Yeutter said one of his principle objectives in the Uruguay Round, which ends in December, is the elimination of subsidies that distort global trade in agriculture.

Yeutter said talks have stalled in past years because the agricultural sector of most nations is a strong political force, making reform difficult.

“Agriculture is a tough issue. We have been trying to negotiate better GATT rules on agriculture for 40 years without success,” he said, referring to the Geneva-based General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. “Hopefully, we will have some success this time for the first time ever.”