Australia pushes trade reform to feed starving AUSTRALIA has urged European nations to lift trade barriers and specialise in high-end or niche food production as part of a push to use trade reform to tackle looming global food shortages. Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan has added his voice to the cause, noting that OECD nations spend $385 billion a year protecting farmers -- nearly 80 times more than they spend on development aid for agriculture in poor nations. Last week, Trade Minister Craig Emerson said civil strife in the Middle East was partly linked to food shortages and the world must embrace trade reforms to lift production and prevent food riots and instability. His comments came ahead of a meeting of G20 agriculture ministers in Paris and a weekend summit of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome. The Gillard government's parliamentary secretary for agriculture, Mike Kelly, attended both meetings and told The Australian last night nations were starting to realise the need to re-examine farm subsidies that had restricted Australian farm exports for years. "There is an understanding that we don't have a choice," Dr Kelly said. The key here is the relationship between food security and conflict. Speaking from Rome, Dr Kelly said he had told delegates to both meetings that with the world needing to lift food production by 70 per cent by 2050, it was essential that mass production of food occur in the areas that were most productive, such as Australia. "If we open up the trade and use innovative and smart procedures we will find niche and high-end markets," he said. That would be a key direction for European farmers. During yesterday's sitting of the FOA meeting, Mr Annan said a worrying rise in protectionism, unilateral export bans and land grabs were meeting the food needs of the rich, but leaving the poor hungry. "Along with tackling the linked problem of climate change, delivering global food and nutrition security is the challenge of our time," Mr Annan said, as he delivered the 27th McDougall memorial lecture, named after Australian Frank McDougall, who helped found the League of Nations food organisation in 1935. Mr Annan also attacked land grabs under which advanced nations bought or leased land in poor countries to secure their own food supplies.