The EU's 15 farm ministers meet on Monday, when changes to the bloc's banana import regime, food safety in the wake of the dioxin crisis and the EU's Russian food aid programme will also be discussed. After an initial discussion on how to approach the new trade round at a meeting in Finland two weeks ago, ministers said there would be a mix of defending the EU's already agreed farm reforms and attacking what are perceived as weaknesses in other countries' agricultural policies.

The United States and the Cairns Group of farm exporters, which includes Australia and New Zealand, will use the Millennium Round talks to attack the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, which they view as trade-distorting. The EU will hit back at U.S. of export credits and the existence of commodity monopoly boards in CairnsGroup members. Finland, in its role as EU president, will draft a document detailing the EU's position, which will then be passed to foreign ministers.

Farm ministers have presented a united front in defending the CAP, but there are differences among them over how fixed a position to take ahead of the talks, to be launched in November. Countries such as Britain, Sweden and Denmark are more disposed towards free trade and will try to keep the EU's negotiating stance as flexible as possible, diplomats say.

Food safety

Fischler also plans to update ministers on any progress in reforming the EU's banana import regime, which has fallen foul of the WTO and resulted in U.S. sanctions of nearly $200 million on EU goods. He will also give a presentation on the EU's food aid programme to Russia amid expectations that Russia may make another food aid request. Diplomats said it appeared the programme had functioned better than previous ones, although there would have to be close scrutiny of it before any newprogrammes could be approved. European Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne is also due to inform ministers of the measures taken in the wake of the dioxin crisis in Belgium.