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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Friday, April 26, 2024
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai pledged at USDA's Ag Outlook Forum to continue fighting a Mexican ban on biotech corn imports, and she played down the U.S. trade deficit on agricultural products. Two U.S. ambassadors encouraged American ag exporters to take advantage of sales opportunities in Vietnam and the Philippines.
American Egg Board President Emily Metz is on a mission to expand the reach of U.S. farmers and processors across the globe and make international trade do for her industry what it’s done for dairy and pork – boost sales and profits.
The U.S. pork industry wants to see a return of the Generalized System of Preferences trade program, which expired in 2020, seeing it as key to gaining new access to markets in countries like Thailand and the Philippines.
The U.S. Meat Export Federation estimates pork volume exports rose in February by 11% to 219,729 metric tons, while value increased by 10%, compared to a year ago.
American pork exporters will have more time to send product to Philippine partners at familiar tariff rates following the December extension of existing duties rather than a potential increase.
The U.S. and some allied nations won a key battle last week in Rome over the international acceptance of the livestock industry’s ability to use a key growth-promoting drug, but the European Union, China and others managed to barely block a full victory.
The Philippines, citing the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on world grain supplies and prices, has reduced its tariff on corn imports from 35% down to 5% and that has opened new opportunities for U.S. corn farmers.
The USDA is planning on four more in-person trade missions around the globe this year, including to the UK and Kenya, nations that the Trump administration opened up negotiations with for free trade agreements.
The U.S. exported $177 billion worth of agricultural commodities in 2021, firmly besting the record in 2014 by about 15% and overshadowing 2020 totals by 18%, according to new data released by the Commerce Department.
