Cairns Group

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cairns Group of Fair Trading Nations
Cairns Group countries in blue
Cairns Group countries in blue
TypeAgricultural exporting countries
Members
20 Countries
Website
www.cairnsgroup.org

The Cairns Group (Cairns Group of Fair Trading Nations) is an

agricultural
exporting countries, composed of: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Vietnam.[1][2]

The Cairns Group seeks to

export subsidies and trade-distorting ("amber box") domestic support for agricultural products[3] and seek to improve market access for agricultural exports. The coalition attempts to present a common front in multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO), tabling joint proposals and occasionally working with like-minded groups such as the G20
group of developing nations.

In September 2018, the Institute of Economic Affairs proposed that the United Kingdom should join the Cairns Group "as soon as possible", stating that although "the UK is not a major agricultural exporter, it is locked into EU supply chains.".

History

Founding

The Cairns Group was founded in August 1986, when the Australian government spearheaded the formation of a group and organized the inaugural meeting in the city of

trade liberalization was the outcome of a long domestic debate in which neoliberal ideas had supplanted protectionism and become the guiding rationale of foreign and domestic policy. The Cairns Group offered a mechanism to promote this agenda in a key multilateral forum."[2]

The move to form the group was largely a response to spiralling trade

subsidies of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy and the United States' Export Enhancement Program. Particularly, the objection came to the double standards between the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) forcing countries to liberalise their economies, whilst the United States
was granted a waiver for agricultural protection in the 1950s.

Uruguay Round

The Cairns Group successfully forced agriculture onto the agenda of the Uruguay Round, which eventually led to the Agreement on Agriculture. In April 1989 in Geneva, Switzerland, the Group played a critical role in the framework agreement with United States, the EU, and Japan to cover negotiations during the remainder of the Round.

Continued protectionism

In the ongoing

multifunctionalists
").

The Group's newest member is Vietnam, which joined in November 2013 as its 20th member.[5]

After its December 2013 meeting in

food labelling".[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "About The Cairns Group". The Cairns Group. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b Mark Beeson. "Cairns Group". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Cairns Group & the Cairns Group Farm Leaders: Fact Sheet" (PDF). National Farmers Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-05. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  4. ^ "Milestones". Cairns Group. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Communiqué, 38th Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting". Cairns Group. Bali, Indonesia. December 2, 2013.
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