US rejects French criticism of food policies

30 August 1999

US rejects French criticism of food policies

Dan Glickman, US agriculture secretary, has rejected French claims that US producers are seeking to dominate the world food industry.

He said French comments about a US desire to dominate international markets was just “unfortunate rhetoric” which goes on in trade circles.

Jean Glavany, French agriculture minister, made the claim last week. He accused the US multinationals Monsanto and DuPont of seeking to “flood” the world with their products.

Glickman is in Buenos Aires where he was meeting the Cairns Group of agricultural exporting nations. Cairns, which includes Australia and Canada among its 15 members, has attacked Europe for its subsidy regime.

But the group has also been critical of US subsidies, in particular, the $7.65bn emergency farm assistance package currently working its way through the US Congress.

The US, in turn, has raised concerns over the state commodity trading enterprises operated by some Cairns Group members.