THE SENATE on Friday approved the regulations for the Safeguard Act, aimed at protecting local producers from imports that threaten their viability.
Debate on the regulations, which was suspended on May 29, resumed with contributions from Senator Norman Grant (PNP), and Senator Dr. David Panton (JLP).
Senator Grant welcomed the regulations, which he said would give local producers breathing space to improve their efficiency. Dr. Panton called for the tightening of the legislation, arguing that some provisions failed to adequately protect local industries.
The Safeguard Act seeks to give protection to local farmers and producers under rules governing the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement.
It provides for the setting up of an investigative authority to conduct probes to determine whether imports have caused or are likely to cause injury to the local productive sector. Among the functions of the authority is the imposition of measures such as increased duties and import quotas to protect local industries.
While there was universal support for the Act when it was passed in the Senate in 2002, Opposition members charged then that it had come seven years too late to save what they described as a "devastated agricultural sector."
