Rep. Earl Pomeroy told sugar producers from around the world Thursday that the U.S. sugar industry will fight to protect itself in global trade negotiations.

The United States shouldn't close doors to its trading partners, but must also protect itself from a growing supply of subsidized foreign sugar, said Pomeroy, D-N.D.

"We accept a responsibility to the Third World, but we don't think that means giving away our industry here at home," he said.

Pomeroy spoke to about 250 people during the 8th World Sugar Farmers' Conference at the Holiday Inn in Fargo.

About half the audience was made up of sugar beet and cane farmers from 29 other countries, including Brazil, India, the European Union and Japan.

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N.D. farmer to preside over world association The conference goers, members of the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers, represent about 65 percent of the world's sugar producers.

Pomeroy told the association's members that agricultural trade should be negotiated within the World Trade Organization where global inequities can be corrected.

Instead, the Bush administration is pursuing regional and bilateral agreements that could lead to the U.S. sugar industry's "death by a thousand cuts," he said.

Mike Blacker, a sugar beet farmer from Yorkshire, England, likened ongoing WTO negotiations to a "complicated jigsaw puzzle."

"It's difficult to recognize the complexities of current trade relations," he said. "There's going to be many losers and winners in this game."

Pomeroy said he's glad the Red River Valley hosted the World Sugar Farmers' Conference so "they can see what we have at stake."

WTO members, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, agreed Thursday on guiding principles in agricultural trade, a move that could rescue stalled talks, Pomeroy said.

Five WTO members, the United States, the European Union, Australia, Brazil and India, agreed for the first time to cut farm subsidies in industrial nations.

Agriculture has been a major stumbling block in WTO talks, leading to the collapse of negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, last September.

"I believe they will leave Geneva with a framework to continue talks," Pomeroy said. "That's certainly my hope."

The World Sugar Farmers' Conference began Monday and ends today. It was the first time the annual conference was held in the United States.

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