USDA Trade Nominee Lindberg Cites Litany of Ag Trade Barriers

USDA Undersecretary for Trade nominee Luke Lindberg says America has “abdicated” its leadership role in feeding the world. Lindberg told Senate Ag lawmakers at his recent confirmation hearing that the U.S. for too long has let other nations “rig” farm trade against American producers.

“Our ethanol producers are no longer competitive in Brazil because of Brazilian import tariffs. Our hog farmers cannot export pork to Brazil, India, Nigeria, Jamaica, Namibia, or Thailand. Mexico has enjoyed a 557-percent increase in specialty crop imports into the United States in just the last decade. Canada has rigged the USMCA agreement terms against our dairy and wheat farmers.”

One of the biggest offenders in a laundry list of comments submitted to USTR is the E.U.

“The European Union is responsible for roughly half of our overall trade deficit, 23.6 billion dollars, and yet it routinely shuts out our products at the altar of non-scientifically based claims.”

And then, of course, there’s China.

“There’s too much to say about China in this opening set of remarks, but a stark comment that stuck out to me came from representatives of American corn farmers, who said that U.S. corn growers cannot rely on China as an export market.”

Lindberg vowed a “strategic and targeted approach” to assess which markets and commodities are coming up short, putting together a game plan, and then knocking down those trade barriers.

The Senate Ag Committee has advanced the nomination of Stephen Vaden to be the next USDA Deputy Secretary to the full Senate this week, in addition to that of Tyler Clarkson to be USDA General Counsel.

Source: NAFB News Service