[NYTr] Mexico Farmers Take NAFTA to Court

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com


Mexico Farmers Take NAFTA to Court

Mexico, Jan 7 (Prensa Latina) Mexican farmers will present nearly 1,500
lawsuits Monday for damages resulting from the North American Free
Trade Agreement.

Consulted by a group of lawyers, the farmers seek legal protection
against the agreement which, they sustain, leads to the collapse of the
agricultural sector.

The protests began after the agricultural chapter of NAFTA came into
effect on January 1, establishing the elimination of tariffs on US and
Canadian imports of corn, milk, sugar, bean, and other products.

They point out that the strong agricultural subsidy in those countries,
and weak financial situation of the Mexican sector result in unfair
competition and will cause failure of the national agricultural
structure.

The chief of the lawyers, Ramon Diaz Vazquez, said NAFTA chiefly
violates article 27 of the Mexican Constitution, which calls for the
State to support the farming sector by generating jobs and promoting
the rural activity.

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