Luxembourg, 16/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Farm Council is due to act by a qualified majority on Monday to approve an agreement the EU and the United States sealed last March concerning a new EU import scheme for brown rice (EUROPE n°8899). Italy and Denmark voted against the agreement decision while Greece abstained. Under the terms of the deal, the customs duty for brown rice could vary by 15% either side of the average level of Euro 42.5 a tonne depending on changes in the trading situation. According to Italy, which is particularly scathing about the pact, this type of system could lead to a huge increase in imports of both brown rice and white rice (processed). Denmark is miffed that the new scheme is not the same for the EU's main rice suppliers (India, Pakistan, United States and Thailand). Under the terms of the political agreement reached on 26 June 2003 on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Council gave the Commission permission to open talks in the WTO forum for a change to the bound duties applied to brown rice and processed rice. The Commission has hammered out a deal with India and Pakistan and did the same with the United States last March. Negotiations are set to continue with Thailand.