This Section applies to measures adopted or maintained by a Party relating to agricultural trade.
In the event of any inconsistency between this Section and another provision of this Agreement, this Section shall prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
Article 702 : International Obligations
Annex 702.1 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex with respect to agricultural trade under certain agreements between them.
Prior to adopting pursuant to an intergovernmental commodity agreement, a measure that may affect trade in an agricultural good between the Parties, the Party proposing to adopt the measure shall consult with the other Parties with a view to avoiding nullification or impairment of a concession granted by that Party in its Schedule to Annex 302.2.
Annex 702.3 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex with respect to measures adopted or maintained pursuant to an intergovernmental coffee agreement.
Article 703 : Market Access
The Parties shall work together to improve access to their respective markets through the reduction or elimination of import barriers to trade between them in agricultural goods. Customs Duties, Quantitative Restrictions, and Agricultural Grading and Marketing Standards
Annex 703.2 applies to the Parties specified in that Annex with respect to customs duties and quantitative restrictions, trade in sugar and syrup goods, and agricultural grading and marketing standards. Special Safeguard Provisions
Each Party may, in accordance with its Schedule to Annex 302.2, adopt or maintain a special safeguard in the form of a tariff rate quota on an agricultural good listed in its Section of Annex 703.3. Notwithstanding Article 302.2, a Party may not apply an over-quota tariff rate under a special safeguard that exceeds the lesser of :
the most-favoured-nation (MFN) rate as of July 1, 1991 ; and
the prevailing MFN rate.
No Party may, with respect to the same good and the same country, at the same time :
apply an over-quota tariff rate under paragraph 3 ; and
take an emergency action covered by Chapter Eight (Emergency Action).
Article 704 : Domestic Support
The Parties recognize that domestic support measures can be of crucial importance to their agricultural sectors but may also have trade distorting and production effects and that domestic support reduction commitments may result from agricultural multilateral trade negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Accordingly, where a Party supports its agricultural producers, that Party should endeavour to work toward domestic support measures that :
Article 705 : Export Subsidies
The Parties share the objective of the multilateral elimination of export subsidies for agricultural goods and shall cooperate in an effort to achieve an agreement under the GATT to eliminate those subsidies.
The Parties recognize that export subsidies for agricultural goods may prejudice the interests of importing and exporting Parties and, in particular, may disrupt the markets of importing Parties. Accordingly, in addition to the rights and obligations of the Parties specified in Annex 702.1, the Parties affirm that it is inappropriate for a Party to provide an export subsidy for an agricultural good exported to the territory of another Party where there are no other subsidized imports of that good into the territory of that other Party.
Except as provided in Annex 702.1, where an exporting Party considers that a non-Party is exporting an agricultural good to the territory of another Party with the benefit of export subsidies, the importing Party shall, on written request of the exporting Party, consult with the exporting Party with a view to agreeing on specific measures that the importing Party may adopt to counter the effect of any such subsidized imports. If the importing Party adopts the agreed-upon measures, the exporting Party shall refrain from applying, or immediately cease to apply, any export subsidy to exports of such good to the territory of the importing Party.
Except as provided in Annex 702.1, an exporting Party shall deliver written notice to the importing Party at least three days, excluding weekends, prior to adopting an export subsidy measure on an agricultural good exported to the territory of another Party. The exporting Party shall consult with the importing Party within 72 hours of receipt of the importing Party's written request, with a view to eliminating the subsidy or minimizing any adverse impact on the market of the importing Party for that good. The importing Party shall, when requesting consultations with the exporting Party, at the same time, deliver written notice to a third Party of the request. A third Party may request to participate in such consultations.
Each Party shall take into account the interests of the other Parties in the use of any export subsidy on an agricultural good, recognizing that such subsidies may have prejudicial effects on the interests of the other Parties.
The Parties hereby establish a Working Group on Agricultural Subsidies, comprising representatives of each Party, which shall meet at least semi-annually or as the Parties may otherwise agree, to work toward elimination of all export subsidies affecting agricultural trade between the Parties. The functions of the Working Group shall include :
monitoring the volume and price of imports into the territory of any Party of agricultural goods that have benefitted from export subsidies ;
providing a forum for the Parties to develop mutually acceptable criteria and procedures for reaching agreement on the limitation or elimination of export subsidies for imports of agricultural goods into the territories of the Parties ; and
reporting annually to the Committee on Agricultural Trade, established under Article 706, on the implementation of this Article.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article :
if the importing and exporting Parties agree to an export subsidy for an agricultural good exported to the territory of the importing Party, the exporting Party or Parties may adopt or maintain such subsidy ; and
each Party retains its rights to apply countervailing duties to subsidized imports of agricultural goods from the territory of a Party or non-Party.
The Committee shall establish an Advisory Committee on Private Commercial Disputes regarding Agricultural Goods, comprising persons with expertise or experience in the resolution of private commercial disputes in agricultural trade. The Advisory Committee shall report and provide recommendations to the Committee for the development of systems in the territory of each Party to achieve the prompt and effective resolution of such disputes, taking into account any special circumstance, including the perishability of certain agricultural goods.
For purposes of this Section : agricultural good means a good provided for in any of the following : Note : For purposes of reference only, descriptions are provided next to the corresponding tariff provision.
Articles 701, 702, 704, 705, 706, 707, 710 and 711 of the Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement apply, as between Canada and the United States, which Articles are hereby incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement.
The definitions of the terms specified in Article 711 of the Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement shall apply to the Articles incorporated by paragraph 1.
For purposes of this incorporation, any reference to Chapter Eighteen of the Canada -United States Free Trade Agreement shall be deemed to be a reference to Chapter Twenty (Institutional Arrangements and Dispute Settlement Procedures) of this Agreement.
The Parties understand that Article 710 of the Canada - United States Free Trade Agreement incorporates the GATT rights and obligations of Canada and the United States with respect to agricultural, food, beverage and certain related goods, including exemptions by virtue of paragraph (1) (b) of the Protocol of Provisional Application of the GATT and waivers granted under Article XXV of the GATT.
Notwithstanding Article 2101 (General Exceptions), neither Canada nor Mexico may adopt or maintain a measure, pursuant to an intergovernmental coffee agreement, that restricts trade in coffee between them.
