Australia drops farm export subsidies

Australia became the first World Trade Organization member to eliminate its farm export subsidies, meeting its obligation to the 2015 Nairobi Ministerial Conference, the WTO said in a statement.    Australia became the first World Trade Organization member to eliminate its farm export subsidies, meeting its obligation to the 2015 Nairobi Ministerial Conference.
   At the conference, WTO members agreed to end their agricultural export subsidies and set disciplines on export measures.
   “By eliminating export subsidies, WTO members have made a collective and historic contribution to delivering on a key target of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal to end all forms of hunger and malnutrition,” the WTO said in a statement.
   Australia is the first WTO member among the 16 members with export subsidy entitlements that obligated themselves in 2015 to eliminate them. Australia’s modified schedule is effective May 22, three months after the document outlining the changes was circulated to WTO members, the trade body said.