A RULING by a World Trade Organization panel last week might spell the beginning of the end for the enormous subsidies rich countries pay their farmers. That would have profound consequences around the world for agriculture, the environment, food security and the political stability of some countries.
Following a complaint brought by Brazil, a panel at the WTO headquarters in Geneva decided that the $2 billion a year the US has been giving its cotton farmers is illegal under world trade rules, because it allows the US to unfairly increase its market share. “The implications of the case are huge,”…
