Farmers for Free Trade recently held a virtual roundtable with officials from different segments of agriculture and the food supply chain to talk about trade and the need for new trade agreements.
While the Biden Administration spent time evaluating current trade agreements, different ag groups are pushing the White House to open up new trade opportunities.
Doug Chapin is a dairy farmer from Michigan who also chairs the Michigan Milk Producers Association. He says America hasn’t generated any new trade agreements for several years.
“Aside from the USMCA update to NAFTA, the last genuinely new free trade agreement we had enacted took effect nearly a decade ago from negotiations that happened much earlier. We seem to be either evaluating, or at times, negotiating deals but not implementing new comprehensive trade agreements that eliminate tariffs on our exports. Just as I have continued in the family business, I would love to have the opportunity to pass the operation along to my children. However, for continued growth and prosperity and for future generations to continue milking, we need new markets that come with new trade agreements.”
Farmers for Free Trade says their group is concerned that competitors are gaining an advantage over the U.S. in important markets, including Southeast Asia.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)