ARRANGEMENT REGARDING BOVINE MEAT

PREAMBLE

CONVINCED that increased international cooperation should be carried out in such a way as to contribute to the achievement of greater liberalization, stability and expansion in international trade in meat and live animals;

TAKING into account the need to avoid serious disturbances in international trade in bovine meat and live animals;

RECOGNIZING the importance of production and trade in bovine meat and live animals for the economies of many countries, especially for certain developed and developing countries;

MINDFUL of their obligations to the principles and objectives of the General Agreement on tariffs and trade (hereinafter referred to as ‘General Agreement’ or ‘GATT’)(1);

DETERMINED, in carrying out the aims of this Arrangement to implement the principles and objectives agreed upon in the Tokyo Declaration of Ministers, dated 14 September 1973 concerning the multilateral trade negotiations, in particular as concerns special and more favourable treatment for developing countries;

THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENT HAVE, through their representatives, AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

PART ONE

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article I

Objectives

The objectives of this Arrangement shall be:

1.

to promote the expansion, ever-greater liberalization and stability of the international meat and livestock market by facilitating the progressive dismantling of obstacles and restrictions to world trade in bovine meat and live animals, including those which compartmentalize this trade, and by improving the international framework of world trade to the benefit of both consumer and producer, importer and exporter;

2.

to encourage greater international cooperation in all aspects affecting the trade in bovine meat and live animals with a view in particular to greater rationalization and more efficient distribution of resources in the international meat economy;

3.

to secure additional benefits for the international trade of developing countries in bovine meat and live animals through an improvement in the possibilities for these countries to participate in the expansion of world trade in these products by means of

inter alia:

(a) promoting long-term stability of prices in the context of an expanding world market for bovine meat and live animals; and

(b) promoting the maintenance and improvement of the earnings of developing countries that are exporters of bovine meat and live animals;

the above with a view thus to deriving additional earnings, by means of securing long-term stability of markets for bovine meat and live animals;

4.

to further expand trade on a competitive basis taking into account the traditional position of efficient producers.

Article II

Product coverage

This Arrangement applies to bovine meat. For the purpose of this Arrangement, the term ‘bovine meat’ is considered to include:

and any other product that may be added by the International Meat Council, as estabished under the terms of Article V of this Arrangement, in order to accomplish the objectives and provisions of this Arrangement.

Article III

Information and market monitoring

1.   All participants agree to provide, regularly and promptly to the Council, the information which will permit the Council to monitor and assess the overall situation of the world market for meat and the situation of the world market for each specific meat.

2.   Participating developing countries shall furnish the information available to them. In order that these countries may improve their data collection mechanisms, developed participants, and any developing participants able to do so, shall consider sympathetically any request to them for technical assistance.

3.   The information that the participants undertake to provide pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article, according to the modalities that the Council shall establish, shall include data on past performance and current situation and an assessment of the outlook regarding production (including the evolution of the composition of herds), consumption, prices, stocks of and trade in the products referred to in Article II, and any other information deemed necessary by the Council, in particular on competing products. Participants shall also provide information on their domestic policies and trade measures including bilateral and plurilateral commitments in the bovine sector, and shall notify as early as possible any changes in such policies and measures that are likely to affect international trade in live bovine animals and meat. The provisions of this paragraph shall not require any participant to disclose confidential information which would impede law enforcement or otherwise be contrary to the public interest or would prejudice the legitimate commercial interests of particular enterprises, public or private.

4.   The secretariat of the Arrangement shall monitor variations in market data, in particular herd sizes, stocks, slaughterings and domestic and international prices, so as to permit early detection of the symptoms of any serious imbalance in the supply and demand situation. The secretariat shall keep the Council apprized of significant developments on world markets, as well as prospects for production, consumption, exports and imports.

Note:

It is understood that under the provisions of this Article, the Council instructs the secretariat to draw up, and keep up to date, an inventory of all measures affecting trade in bovine meat and live animals, including commitments resulting from bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral negotiations.

Article IV

Functions of the International Meat Council and cooperation between the participants to this Arrangement

1.   The Council shall meet in order to:

(a) evaluate the world supply and demand situation and outlook on the basis of an interpretative analysis of the present situation and of probable developments drawn up by the secretariat of the Arrangement, on the basis of documentation provided in conformity with Article III of the present Arrangement, including that relating to the operation of domestic and trade policies and of any other information available to the secretariat;

(b) proceed to a comprehensive examination of the functioning of the present Arrangement;

(c) provide an opportunity for regular consultation on all matters affecting international trade in bovine meat.

2.   If after evaluation of the world supply and demand situation referred to in paragraph 1 (a) of this Article; or after examination of all relevant information pursuant to Article III (3), the Council finds evidence of a serious imbalance or a threat thereof in the international meat market, the Council will proceed by consensus, taking into particular account the situation in developing countries, to identify, for consideration by governments, possible solutions to remedy the situation consistent with the principles and rules of GATT.

3.   Depending on whether the Council considers that the situation defined in paragraph 2 of this Article is temporary or more durable, the measures referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article could include short-, medium-, or long-term measures taken by importers as well as exporters to contribute to improve the overall situation of the world market consistent with the objectives and aims of the Arrangement, in particular the expansion, ever-greater liberalization, and stability of the international meat and livestock markets.

4.   When considering the suggested measures pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article, due consideration shall be given to special and more favourable treatment to developing countries, where this is feasible and appropriate.

5.   The participants undertake to contribute to the fullest possible extent to the implementation of the objectives of this Arrangement set forth in Article I. To this end, and consistent with the principles and rules of the General Agreement, participants shall, on a regular basis, enter into the discussions provided in Article IV (1) (c) with a view to exploring the possibilities of achieving the objectives of the present Arrangement, in particular the further dismantling of obstacles to world trade in bovine meat and live animals. Such discussions should prepare the way for subsequent consideration of possible solutions of trade problems consistent with the rules and principles of the GATT, which could be jointly accepted by all the parties concerned, in a balanced context of mutual advantages.

6.   Any participant may raise before the Council any matter(2) affecting this Arrangement

inter alia

for the same purposes provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article. The Council shall, at the request of a participant, meet within a period of not more than 15 days to consider any matter affecting the present Arrangement.

PART TWO

ADMINISTRATION OF THE ARRANGEMENT

Article V

1.   

International Meat Council

An International Meat Council shall be established within the framework of the GATT. The Council shall comprise representatives of all participants to the Arrangement and shall carry out all the functions which are necessary to implement the provisions of the Arrangement. The Council shall be serviced by the GATT secretariat. The Council shall establish its own rules of procedure, in particular the modalities for consultations provided for in Article IV.

2.   

Regular and special meetings

The Council shall normally meet at least twice each year. However, the chairman may call a special meeting of the Council either on his own initiative, or at the request of a participant to this Arrangement.

3.   

Decisions

The Council shall reach its decisions by consensus. The Council shall be deemed to have decided on a matter submitted for its consideration if no member of the Council formally objects to the acceptance of a proposal.

4.   

Cooperation with other organizations

The Council shall make whatever arrangements are appropriate for consultation or cooperation with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.

5.   

Admission of observers

(a) The Council may invite any non-participating country to be represented at any of its meetings as an observer.

(b) The Council may also invite any of the organizations referred to in paragraph 4 of this Article to attend any of its meetings as an observer.

PART THREE

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article VI

1.   

Acceptance

(3) (a)

This Arrangement is open for acceptance, by signature or otherwise, by governements members of the United Nations, or of one of its specialized agencies and by the European Economic Community.

(b) Any government(4) accepting this Arrangement may at the time of acceptance make a reservation with regard to its acceptance of any of the provisions in the present Arrangement. This reservation is subject to the approval of the participants.

(c) This Arrangement shall be deposited with the Director-General to the Contracting Parties to the GATT who shall promptly furnish a certified copy thereof and a notification of each acceptance thereof to each participant. The texts of this Arrangement in the English, French and Spanish languages shall all be equally authentic.

(d) The entry into force of this Arrangement shall entail the abolition of the International Meat Consultative Group.

2.   

Provisional application

Any government may deposit with the Director-General to the Contracting Parties to the GATT a declaration of provisional application of this Arrangement. Any government depositing such a declaration shall provisionally apply this Arrangement and be provisionally regarded as participating in this Arrangement.

3.   

Entry into force

This Arrangement shall enter into force, for those participants having accepted it, on 1 January 1980.

For participants accepting this Arrangement after that date, it shall be effective from the date of their acceptance.

4.   

Validity

This Arrangement shall remain in force for three years. The duration of this Arrangement shall be extended for further periods of three years at a time, unless the Council, at least 80 days prior to each date of expiry, decides otherwise.

5.   

Amendment

Except where provision for modification is made elsewhere in this Arrangement the Council may recommend an amendment to the provisions of this Arrangement. The proposed amendment shall enter into force upon acceptance by the governments of all participants.

6.   

Relationship between the Arrangement and the GATT

Nothing in this Arrangement shall affect the rights and obligations of participants under the GATT(5).

7.   

Withdrawal

Any participant may withdraw from this Arrangement. Such withdrawal shall take effect upon the expiration of 60 days from the date on which written notice of withdrawal is received by the Director-General to the Contracting Parties to the GATT.

(1)  This provision applies only among GATT Contracting Parties.

(2)  

Note:

It is confirmed that the term ‘matter’ in this paragraph includes any matter which is covered by Multilateral Agreements negotiated within the framework of the multilateral trade negotiations, in particular those bearing on export and import measures. It is further confirmed that the provisions of Article IV (6), and this footnote are without prejudice to the rights and obligations of the parties to such agreements.

(3)  The terms ‘ acceptance’ or ‘accepted’ as used in this Article include the completion of any domestic procedures necessary to implement the provisions of this Arrangement.

(4)  For the purpose of this Arrangement, the term ‘government’ is deemed to include the competent authorities of the European Economic Community.

(5)  This provision applies only among GATT Contracting Parties.