The Wall Street Journal
WELLINGTON -- New Zealand Agriculture Minister Jim Sutton Wednesday welcomed the formation of a World Trade Organization panel to hear New Zealand's dispute with the U.S. about lamb tariffs.
"(Now) we can get down to the business of challenging the legality of the action taken against our lamb exports," Sutton said in a statement.
New Zealand and Australia are jointly challenging whether the U.S. is within WTO rules in applying tariffs on lamb the two countries export to the U.S. The U.S. argues the imports of lamb put its own sheep meat industry in peril.
Sutton said the three person committee comprises Professor Tommy Koh from Singapore, Shishir Priyadarshi from India, and Meinhard Hilf from Germany. Presentations before the panel are scheduled for late May and again in early July. A final outcome, including the hearing of any appeals, is likely in early 2001, he said.:
