ACTION TAKEN AGAINST `UNFAIR' TRADE PRACTICES: MOVE ON TARIFFS HEARTENS EMERSON

WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson said Friday he is pleased with action taken to raise tariffs affecting $1 billion of imports from the European Community.

"We've been urging a level playing field all along," said Emerson. "If the EC won't heed our warnings and pleas, I wholeheartedly believe this action is justified."

The action was taken after the European Community indicated it would not make the required changes to its oilseeds subsidy regime required by a GATT Council. Members of Congress from soybean producing states have warned agriculture department and trade office officials that failure to reform the subsidies would be harmful to oilseed exporters in the U.S.

"Our soybean producers and processors are getting suffocated because of these unfair trading practices," said Emerson. "The U.S. soybean industry is one of the most productive commodity sectors of American agriculture and is very dependent on exports. Missouri's soybean producers must no longer be taken advantage of by our less efficient, less productive, and less competitive European counterparts."

U.S. trade statistics report inflated foreign farm subsidies have undercut world markets and left American producers in an unfair trading position. Emerson contends the American farmer can compete against any agricultural producer in the world, but not against the government treasuries of its foreign competitors.

Emerson said he hopes the EC will understand the U.S. means business.

"They still have an opportunity to decrease their subsidies, and hopefully in that case, the United States won't have to raise the tariffs on their goods "