PUBLIC LAW 99-198—DEC. 23, 1985
99 STAT. 1481
^
(1) the present high level of agricultural protectionism contrasts sharply with the general trade liberalization that has been achieved since the inception of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (hereinafter referred to as "GATT"); and (2) GATT procedures should explicitly recognize the protective effect of domestic subsidies that alter trade indirectly by reducing the demand for imports and increasing the supply of exports. (b) It is the sense of Congress that the President should negotiate with other parties to GATT to revise GATT rules and codes with the goal of reducing agricultural export subsidies, tariffs, and nontariff barriers to trade.
i K
AGRICULTURAL TRADE CONSULTATIONS
SEC. 1123. (a) To improve the orderly marketing of United States 7 USC I736r. agricultural commodities, to achieve higher income for United States producers of agricultural commodities, and to reduce the likelihood of an agricultural commodity price war and the need for export subsidy programs, the Secretary of Agriculture shall, in coordination with the United States Trade Representative, confer with representatives of other major agricultural producing countries and, at the earliest possible date, initiate and pursue agricultural trade consultations among major agricultural producing countries. (b) It is the sense of Congress that the objectives of the consultations called for in subsection (a) should be to— (1) increase the exchange of information on worldwide agricultural production, demand, and commodity supply levels; (2) determine a more equitable sharing of responsibility for maintaining £^ricultural commodity reserves and managing supplies of agricultural commodities; and (3) attain increased cooperation in restraining export subsidy programs. (c) The Secretary of Agriculture shall report to Congress by July 1, 1986, and annually thereafter through fiscal year 1990, on the progress of efforts to initiate and pursue the consultations called for in subsection (a), including any agreements reached with respect to the objectives set forth in subsection (b). TARGETED EXPORT ASSISTANCE
SEC. 1124. (a) For export activities authorized to be carried out by 7 USC I736s. the Secretary of Agriculture or the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary of Agriculture shall use under this section, in addition to any funds or commodities otherwise required under this Act to be used for such activities, for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1986, and each of the fiscal years thereafter through September 30, 1990, not less than $325,000,000 of funds of, or an equal value of commodities owned by, the Corporation. (b)(1) Funds or commodities made available for use under this section shall be used by the Secretary only to counter or offset the adverse effect on the export of a United States agricultural commodity or the product thereof of a subsidy (as defined in paragraph (2)), import quotas, or other unfair trade practices of a foreign country (2) As used in paragraph (1), the term subsidy includes an export subsidy, tax rebate on exports, financial assistance on preferential terms, financial assistance for operating losses, assumption of costs
�
