US Agriculture Is Victim of Broken WTO: Agri-Pulse

Members of the World Trade Organization, 25 years old, express concerns about processes. The WTO can no longer settle disputes of 164 members after the Trump administration blocked appointments of appellate judges to the body that decides cases. The body has one of three minimum judges; dozens of cases are now on hold. “The U.S. ag sector is keen to see suits filed that would challenge the European Union’s efforts to clamp down on endocrine disruptors, its ban on poultry treated with chlorinated rinses, and its lengthy biotech approval system,” reports Bill Tomson for Agri-Pulse. “Now, American farming, manufacturing and other groups are calling on the Trump administration to use what leverage it has to negotiate the changes.” The Trump administration has criticized salaries and lengthy time for deciding cases as well as “judicial activism” and precedents. New Zealand’s ambassador to the WTO offered a proposal: precedents would not be binding, advisory opinions would be banned, cases would be limited to 90 days and appeals would not revise WTO rules. Meanwhile, other countries try US tactics: The US offered to settle a case on carbon steel products with India, and the WTO scheduled a discussion meeting. India requested cancellation. – YaleGlobal