USDA, USTR Name New Agricultural Trade Advisors

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai today announced the appointment of 130 new private-sector representatives to serve on seven agricultural trade advisory committees that represent the diversity of U.S. agriculture. The new group of advisors will join the 70 existing committee members whose terms have not expired.

Complete rosters of the committees, including the 130 new appointees and 70 members already serving, are available at:

- Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee

- Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animals and Animal Products

- Agricultural Technical...

Ag Exports in Focus Following Tariff Rate Quote Agreement Between U.S. and EU

Earlier this week, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai along with EU representatives signed the U.S.-EU Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) Agreement.

This enabled the U.S. to preserve its existing access to the EU market for various agricultural goods following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU on January 1, 2021.

Through the first 11 months of 2022, the U.S. exported $11.1 billion worth of goods to the EU, according to the office of the U.S. trade representative. 

Under tariff-rate quota 005 (Meat of bovine animals/Edible offal of bovine animals), the Union volume of the United States/Canada country specific part was adjusted to 10,500 tonnes...

U.S., EU Agree to Tariff Rate Quotas for Agricultural Products

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and a number of EU representatives signed the U.S.-EU Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) Agreement on January 17.

According to the USTR, the agreement will allow the U.S. to preserve its existing access to the EU market for various agricultural commodities following the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU on January 1, 2021.

“The new TRQ allocations are based on the historical pattern of agricultural exports to the 27 EU Member States,” the USTR’s office wrote in a press release...

Protein Groups Share Thoughts on Confirmations of USTR Ag. Negotiator, Food Safety Undersecretary

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and John Boozman (R-Ark.), the Committee’s Ranking Member announced that the U.S. Senate has confirmed the appointments of Dr. Jose Emilio Esteban, to serve as Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Doug McKalip, to serve as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“It’s long overdue that these critical positions at USDA and the Office of...

Joint Statement from Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Tai after Meeting with Mexican Government

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai released the following statement after Secretary Vilsack and Ambassador Tai met with a delegation of senior Mexican Government officials in Washington, D.C. today:

“Today, we welcomed a number of senior Mexican Government officials to a meeting at the United States Department of Agriculture.

“There was candid conversation about our deep concerns around the restrictions of the importation of biotech corn and other biotechnology products stemming from President López Obrador’s 2020 decree. The Mexican delegation presented...