U.S farm groups write letter to Trump asking the president to support the establishment of an Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs

Feb 24, 2017

More than 20 groups signed the letter

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

More than 20 organizations representing American farmers signed a letter to President Trump, asking him to support the establishment of an Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

Within the 2014 Farm Bill is a provision to establish the position in the USDA to help handle international agricultural trade issues.

The groups, which include the American Soybean Association, National Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Cattlemen’s Association and National Turkey Federation, say having someone in that position could have a number of benefits.

“Such a position will bring unified high level representation to key trade negotiations with senior, foreign officials and within the Executive Branch,” the letter reads. “It will also allow the Administration to recruit an Under Secretary who has extensive experience in international trade negotiation and policy issues.”

The letter also suggests an Under Secretary would help modernize the USDA’s trade structure.

“The U.S. agriculture and food industry is ideally positioned to experience significant growth in the decades ahead given projected population growth of an additional 2.5 billion people by 2050. Yet with these opportunities will also come significant changes to keep existing foreign markets open and gain access to new emerging markets for U.S. farm and food products,” the letter says.

The groups say it’s “vitally important” for U.S. agriculture to capitalize on increasing global demands for farm products, especially in overseas markets.

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