Agriculture and the environment in free trade agreements

The inclusion of environmental issues in trade liberalization agreements has become a major issue since they were included in NAFTA and recognized by the Uruguay Round GATT agreement. However, the exact role and nature of these remains contentious with many WTO members opposed to an extensive role for environmental issues in multilateral trade agreements. Nonethe-less, the declaration that established the Doha Round recognizes a role, albeit a limited one, for the environment in negotiating the next trade liberalization agreement. The exact nature of environmental issues in the Doha Round will be the result of extensive negotiations and compromises.