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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
The Biden administration has made it clear it won't use the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity to negotiate lower tariffs on American ag exports, but U.S. officials insist there are plenty of non-tariff trade barriers to be resolved, and U.S. farm groups’ hopes are high as talks continue this week in San Francisco during a seventh round of negotiations.
The Biden administration has so far opted not to enter into traditional, tariff-cutting free trade agreements, and farm groups are now turning to the large field of candidates hoping to be the next president to make the case for new trade deals.
U.S. trade policy should not be focused on using American might for deals to increase exports, but rather trading access to U.S. markets in return for influence on foreign countries, according to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
The U.S. aims to wrap up negotiations on the 14-nation Indo-Pacific Economic Framework this year, but not before key provisions on sustainability are added to the agriculture chapter of the deal, Chief U.S. Agriculture Negotiator Doug McKalip said Monday.
The European Union has been on a mission for the past decade to ban the foreign use of food names like bologna, gruyere and feta cheese, depriving U.S. producers of markets around the world, but a bipartisan roster of lawmakers has stepped forward to try to curb the EU campaign.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai rebuffed appeals from senators to begin negotiating trade agreements that would cut tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports.
Agriculture groups are calling on Congress to expressly state that the nation’s pesticide law preempts states’ authority to craft their own warning labels for products.
The potential for increased trade with India is substantial, but the country has refused to commit to the trade pillar of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and some in the U.S. ag sector are pessimistic about changing the country’s direction.
India, an international ag trading powerhouse that often comes into friction with the U.S. over tariff and nontariff barriers, is the only Indo-Pacific Economic Framework country out of 14 not participating in the pact’s trade pillar after a major summit held in Los Angeles this week, according to government officials.
The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved USDA adviser Doug McKalip to be the chief agricultural negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, sending the nomination to the full Senate for final approval.
