U.S. submits domestic support notices to the World Trade Organization

WASHINGTON – Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner recently said the United States has submitted its domestic support notifications to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the years of 2002-2005.
“The United States has an obligation to notify the WTO about its agricultural domestic subsidies,” said Conner.
“In our notification, we have informed the WTO that U.S. domestic trade-distorting support level remains below our $19.1 billion ceiling, demonstrating that the United States is in full compliance with our WTO commitments.”
Amber box. The $19.1 billion ceiling applies to amber box support, which is a classification of payments in the WTO. Amber box support is one part of the overall trade distorting subsidy level.
The current ceiling for overall trade distorting support in the U.S. is $48 billion under WTO commitments.
Amber box support includes payments linked to production or prices, and other trade-distorting support that became subject to negotiated limits under the Uruguay Round Agriculture Agreement.
Support that is classified as green box in the WTO includes major outlays for domestic food assistance, conservation programs and research.
Green box support is provided under programs that are not subject to WTO limits because they do not distort trade, or do so only minimally.