EU’s Hogan: Agriculture should be excluded from trade negotiations with the US

The European Union (EU) Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan was reported by Reuters earlier today, as saying that the European Union intends to keep agriculture off the agenda in its trade talks with the US.

Key Quotes:

A free trade agreement between the European Union and Japan is the “benchmark and ceiling” for the EU’s negotiations with the United States for a trade pact.

“Agriculture should be excluded from negotiations with the United States.” 

“The fact that the European Union and Japan have a very good agreement will operate as the benchmark ... to what is achievable between the EU and the United States.”