But let me begin with some brief remarks on the principles of our agricultural trade policies, the Administration's view of the need for a new trade negotiating round, and the major agricultural issues it is likely to address.

U.S. agricultural trade policy rests on a few basic principles; opportunity, fairness, and respect for science. First, American farmers are the world's most highly competitive and technically advanced. With 25 percent of total receipts coming from agricultural exports, we are and will be in the future increasingly reliant on exports to remain profitable at home. The region that we're representing today, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico, alone export over four billion dollars worth of agricultural goods. Agricultural producers also depend on strict and impartial enforcement of our fair trade laws to address farm dumping and subsidies import surges in particular commodities. And exporters and consumers alike require a strong science-based food inspection regime to ensure confidence in the food supply and make sure foreign countries are not creating new trade barriers.

We have pursued these goals in a number of trade forum. First, in the World Trade Organization, we have created a set of international principles to ensure open markets and fair treatment for American producers. The WTO represents 50 years of bipartisan American leadership and the creation of an international trading system that brings down foreign trade barriers and promotes the rule of law in trade. It has helped raise income, to create jobs, and promote American values of fair play and rule of law worldwide.

We brought agriculture fully into the trading system of the WTO in 1995 and the results have been very good. USDA will be providing some very much more detailed information on this, but I would like to focus now a little bit on the strong enforcement mechanism that we have created to make sure that our trading partners live up to their commitments. The U.S. has been the most active user of this system. We have succeeded in 20 of our 22 cases that we have brought against other countries in the WTO, and nine, nearly half, have addressed agricultural commodities from fruit sales to Japan, pork in the Philippines, dairy in Canada, and, of course, the very well-known ones with the European Union on bananas and beef.

On a bilateral front, we have new opportunities through a series of bilateral and regional agreements; almonds to Israel, beef to Korea, grains in Canada, pork and poultry in the Philippines, apples in Japan, and more. The most recent example is the bilateral sanitary and phytosanitary agreement we reached with China in April. This was made possible because of the WTO's sanitary and phytosanitary agreement. It has already lifted China's ban on citrus products, which I know is important to South Texas, wheat and other grains from the Pacific Northwest, and meat and poultry from all USDA-approved plants. When combined with cuts in Chinese tariffs, after China joins the WTO, we expect to see significant increases in U.S. exports to China.

At the same time, however, the work is far from done. Numerous trade barriers and unfair practices continue overseas. The President, therefore, called for a new round of international trade negotiations under the WTO in his State of the Union address. We expect the round itself will take three years to conclude and will address a number of issues beyond agriculture. Agricultural issues themselves will be at the heart of our agenda. As Vice President Gore has said, our economy depends on fully productive and competitive agriculture, and the round is our single biggest opportunity in trade policy to make sure American agriculture remains the world standard.

In the months ahead we are beginning to set a very specific agenda. Broadly speaking, we expect to address reducing tariffs and other barriers to our products overseas, promoting fair trade by eliminating foreign export subsidies and reducing trade-distorting domestic supports, ensuring greater transparency and fairness in state trading, helping to guarantee that farmers and ranchers can use biotechnology without fear of trade discrimination, and ensuring that American producers have the right to effective remedies against dumping, subsidies, and import surges.

As we prepare for this work, we are consulting with American industries, with Congress, and with our trading partners to set specific objectives. We also need advice directly from producers and others in the agricultural industry the specific objectives we need to set, and that is why we are here today. Because the best way to find out is to ask you directly. We are here to listen to you as producers, experts, and people involved in the food industry. We want to hear your priorities and understand firsthand the problems you see in international trade. With the right objectives and successful negotiations, we can ensure secure access to markets for America's growers, ranchers, and dairy farmers, as well as to ensure safeguards against unfair practices in our market. We can raise living standards for American farm and families, we can ensure good prices and healthy food for our consumers, and we can realize the broader humanitarian mission of a world free from hunger and with stronger protection for land, water, and wildlife. It is a great opportunity for our producers and for our whole country.

I want to thank all of you for coming today to help us with your thoughts and advice.

And once again, let me thank you Commissioner Combs, for hosting us, and for all the hard work your staff has done to arrange this session. Thank you.