US farm bill attracts criticism at WTO talks

Several countries at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) criticised the new US farm bill on Monday for raising farm support when the WTO is trying to reach a deal to cut agricultural subsidies.
"A few of them had a go at the new farm bill," said New Zealand's WTO ambassador Crawford Falconer, after WTO members met to review the revised proposals he issued last week for a farm deal in the WTO's Doha round. The countries criticising the $289 billion US farm bill, passed last Thursday and overriding a presidential veto, included Burkina Faso.