EU food industry "disappointed" in failure of WTO talks.

FoodNavigator.com reports that the EU food industry has expressed disappointment at the WTO's failure to achieve any meaningful agreement at the Doha round of agricultural trade talks. "This is a serious disappointment for the EU food and drink industry business that continuously supported the Doha Development Agenda since the beginning of the round, five years ago," said the CIAA (confederation of the food and drink industries) in a statement. "European food and drink business expected the multilateral process to deliver a level playing field through improved disciplines in agricultural policies and to offer enhanced trade opportunities."

These sentiments were echoed by the European Dairy Association (EDA), which argued that a balanced agreement in the WTO Doha round negotiations was an essential step towards the liberalized world market, and the only guarantee for growth of profitable trade in general and for the dairy sector in particular.

The European food industry has been consistently supportive of the Doha round of trade talks. It believed that a successful conclusion would have helped secure continued industry investment across Europe, pushed trading partners into reforming their agricultural systems, and provided for a level playing field for trade in food and drink products and greater trade opportunities.