Aust joins international outcry over US corn subsidies
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Australia has joined Canada and a number of other countries in complaining to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about US corn subsidies.
The US is by far the world's biggest exporter of corn, exporting over 50 million tonnes in the last year.
Australia and Canada are comparatively small players in the world corn trade but both countries have major issues with US agricultural subsidies.
According to officials with Canada's International Trade Ministry, corn subsidies are simply the most blatant, so it was a good place to start.
After a three-month waiting period, the WTO will launch a formal investigation into Canadian complaints that the US gives its corn farmers over $11 billion in subsidies each year.
Australia, the European Union, Argentina and Brazil have all joined the complaint.
