Our next speaker is Robert Baker from the Delaware Farm Bureau.

MR. BAKER: Distinguished Panel, Jack, Don. It's good to be here. I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to express the view of the farmer.

Now, you heard my name is Robert Baker and I represent the 4,000 members of the Delaware State Farm Bureau as president. I believe we'll bring a different perspective to this session.

We've all read all the numbers and heard all the technical analysis, and I'll not repeat any of the world demographics, trade surpluses, GMO safety, buyer security, multiplier effects of agriculture economies or any of the myriad of technical information.

You have this information and understand it better than I. However, there's a need to interpret the numbers, implement the knowledge and enforce the rules.

Farmers want fairness. We expect nothing less. We endeavor to live simple lives in an increasingly complex world. Years ago we competed with our neighbor across the fence. Then we competed with the midwest. Now we have just the world competition.

The European Union is a perfect example of what should not exist. Their protectionism places American farmers at a competitive disadvantage. Their price supports and your unimaginable trade barriers stimulate overproduction and excess stocks that are dumped into our potential markets. That's not fair.

Free trade is fair. Tariffs and embargoes are not. No one should be allowed to have it both ways. If they wish to continue their current policies, there could be no better time than now to play the game their way. The U.S. economy is robust. The European economy is struggling. If they will not obey the rules and trade fairly, then we should not be afraid to beat them at their own game. We can adjust our programs and trade policies to level the playing field. Perhaps then, the American farmer can enjoy the prosperity that the general population has for the last few years.

The highest risk and the lowest returns go to the weakest. I'd like to repeat that because I think that's key. The highest risks and the lowest returns go to the weakest. Something's gone terribly wrong. Athletes and entertainers are signing multimillion dollar contracts at the same time that farmers are increasingly taking all farm jobs in an attempt to support their families. And that's the position that the American farmer is in.

Our increases in yield and our advances in the biotech fields have been used against us. Our standards of living are eroding and despite our best efforts, we are powerless to reverse the trend. Farmers are subsidizing the U.S. economy with cheap food.

World Trade Organization rules that are permanent with painful, punitive, penalties is what is needed. I call that the four Ps, permanent, painful, punitive, penalties. There should not be round after round of negotiations. Permanent protocols should be established. It cannot be acceptable for any nation, continent or hemisphere to agree to terms and then ignore them and then go back to business as usual. If the rules of the Uruguay Round are not going to be followed, there should be one final negotiating round with lasting rules that must be complied with. The nations that are tempted to stray would know in advance what the price would be for not playing fair. If adjustments are needed or as nations tinker with the intent, the World Trade Organization would convene and decide the fate of the bad actors.

Food sanctions are not an effective means of placing sanctions on bad actors. This creates a lose/lose situation that is destabilizing for world peace. Wars are fought by hungry people.

Furthermore, if there are better ways to sanction nations, food sanctions are negative impacts on the most important economic sector for U.S. trade. The American farmer loses.

As a personal comment, I would say that I believe it is also morally wrong to starve people to sanction their nations. The political leaders that perpetuate policies that create sanctionable offenses never appear to get hungry, but their populations suffer terribly.

Finally, I would say that American agriculture is the number one issue for the trade representative. Any attempt to early harvest or give others an advantage on this important issue will weaken the U.S. Trade Representative's negotiating position and ultimately hurt the U.S. farmer.

Thank you very much.

UNDER SECRETARY SCHUMACHER: Thank you very much. You've raised one important issue and that's a new important issue. One of them is the question of food and sanctions. We have been, in fact, I'm very, very proud of the market's leadership in the State Department because Congress is leisurely, they're moving but it's rather leisurely, on the issue of sanctions. It's a difference of opinion of the majority on that issue. But the State Department and the Administration has worked to basically put out regulations which we hope to announce very, very shortly. I can't say exactly when, but I think you see my body language, very, very shortly, on Iran and Sudan, countries we don't agree with politically but we agree with strongly food and medicine is important to help their mothers and children in that regard.

So we share your views on that and we are moving administratively and we hope the Congress will pick up the pace on their leisurely view of the administration that of providing our fine products from here going into certain countries.

MR. BAKER: Thank you very much.