WTO fishing subsidy talks to miss 2020 deadline as China, India baulk

The World Trade Organization (WTO) announced it will miss a 2020 deadline to secure an agreement prohibiting subsidies that threaten the sustainability of global fishing, as countries including China and India hold out for an exemption.

As part of a UN Sustainable Development Goal target, negotiators were tasked with eliminating subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and prohibiting certain subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing. Talks have also been held up by Covid-19 restrictions on meetings and the change in the US administration. Globally, such subsidies amount to an estimated $14-$54 billion per year, according to the WTO.

“Members had