Re: Vertical Integration vs. New Report Lauds Small Farms

Greg & Lei Gunthorp (hey4hogs@kuntrynet.com)
Fri, 10 Sep 1999 11:33:03 -0500

I am talking about a completely different thing than the free trade people
talk about. When I talk about open and competitive markets I'm talking
about price discovery, mandatory price reporting or some information
mechanism, non-discriminatory practices for volume, abuse of regulations
that discriminate against new or small processors, food prices having no
correlation to commodity production because of concentration, etc. I'm
basically saying I don't like the trend towards food ONLY being priced at
the grocery store. They are trying to cut the non-contracted production
from small farms entirely out of the food chain.

Best wishes,
Greg Gunthorp

----------
> From: Lucy Miller <LawsonValentine@csi.com>
> To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu
> Subject: Vertical Integration vs. New Report Lauds Small Farms
> Date: Friday, September 10, 1999 10:30 AM
>
> Greg Gunthorp says:
>
> > Small sustainable farmers can compete quite favorably on
> >cost of production if given an open and competitive market.
>
> Food First says:
> >"Free trade causes the prices farmers receive
> >to drop through the floor", said Rosset," driving them into bankruptcy
by
> >the millions." Such low prices mean only the largest can survive,
> >according to the study.
> >
> >The World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture (AOA), to be
> >negotiated in Seattle, USA, in November, 1999, is the weapon that could
> >deal the final death blow to the world's small farmers, according to
> >Rosset. "The U.S. Government negotiators," said Rosset, himself an
> >American, "have as their goal for Seattle the complete liberalization of
> >trade in farm products. . . . We must oppose trade agreements which
> >place them in jeopardy."
>
>
> Hmm. . . Does Greg's open and competitive market equate with the
> WTO's free trade? Or are the definitions quite different? If the
> latter, did Food First miss a trick by not making the distinction?
> Seems to me they (we!) ought to be making Greg's point, which I think
> was that "free trade" and "global corporate hegemony" are not quite
> the same.
>
> Lucy Miller
>
>
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