Farm Bureau Welcomes Trade Progress

A few recent announcements from the Biden administration represent progress on a number of trade issues. Micheal Clements shares more.

Clements: The Biden administration is kicking off the new year with some progress on trade issues. Dave Salmonsen, American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Congressional Relations Director, says one of those issues is dairy trade with Canada under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Salmonsen: The way Canada was administering the program really wasn’t allowing increases of U.S. dairy product into Canada. The U.S. brought a case, and it was just decided that Canada wasn’t administering it properly. The U.S. won the case, Canada has since said they will change the way they administer the program to allow in the required amount of U.S. dairy products, and we look for increased exports going forward into Canada.

Clements: Meanwhile, the U.S. will discuss ending tariffs on steel from the United Kingdom and the associated retaliatory tariffs.

Salmonsen: U.S. and the U.K. just announced they will be starting talks to try and get rid of those tariffs. In the fall, the U.S. and the European Union came to a deal, got rid of those tariffs and got rid of the retaliatory tariffs on our products, so we’re looking to have the same thing done with the United Kingdom, and that will, again, create more opportunities for our products into the United Kingdom market.

Clements: Salmonsen adds there’s progress in trade with India as well.

Salmonsen: And just the recent announcement that India would proceed with administering the proper certificates and would allow U.S. pork imports into that country. So, we’re very pleased that that’s going forward. There’s a variety of other issues to be worked on with other products that we’d like to get into that country, so several issues with India, but this is good progress.

Clements: Micheal Clements, Washington.