Last Friday, a White House signing ceremony was held for an agreement that will establish a duty-free quota for high-quality American beef in the European Union (EU). The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the signing of the agreement that establishes a duty-free quota for high-quality U.S. beef from non-hormone treated cattle. Once implemented, the annual quota …
Important Breakthroughs for U.S. Red Meat
Last Friday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that Japan had agreed to eliminate long-standing restrictions on U.S. beef exports, including the 30-month cattle age limit. Later that day, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the removal of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Mexico and Canada and elimination of those countries’ retaliatory tariffs on …
NPPC Testifies at USTR Hearing on Thailand’s GSP Eligibility
At a U.S. Trade Representative hearing, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) called for Thailand’s preferential access to the U.S. market to be revoked or reduced if it does not end its unwarranted ban on U.S. pork. Thailand is a top beneficiary of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which gives duty-free treatment to certain goods entering the …
Action Taken Against Canadian Trade Measures That Discriminate Against U.S. Wine
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer announced that the Trump Administration has requested that the World Trade Organization (WTO) establish a dispute settlement panel to examine unfair regulations governing the sale of wine in grocery stores in the Canadian province of British Columbia (BC). The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is …
USTR To Review Thailand’s GSP Trade Benefits
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has agreed with a request from the National Pork Producers Council to review Thailand’s eligibility for the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program because of that country’s failure to provide access to its market for U.S. products, including pork. NPPC, which last month filed a GSP review petition with USTR, is …
Soybean Growers Submit Comments on Tariff Proposal
The American Soybean Association recently submitted comments on the Section 301 tariffs to the United States Trade Representative during the 30-day open comment period. USTR recently initiated an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into the government of China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. A slew of tit-for-tat tariffs …
Senate Confirms Key USTR Nominees
The National Cotton Council is pleased with the Senate’s confirmation of key officials in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The Senate confirmed Gregg Doud as USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Dennis Shea as Deputy USTR (Geneva) and C. J. Mahoney as Deputy USTR (Investment, Services, Labor, Environment, Africa, China, and the Western Hemisphere). Earlier this year, the NCC …
USTR Wants Renewal of Trade-Promotion Authority
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) says it plans to ask for a three-year extension of trade-promotion authority in order to negotiate new trade deals. Robert Lighthizer says those discussions could be with Japan, Vietnam, and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership if they’re interested. Politico quotes Lighthizer as saying, “The Trump administration will aggressively negotiate trade deals …
USW Thanks USTR for Protecting Ag at WTO
Farm groups thanked U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer for his efforts to defend U.S. agriculture against attempts to weaken the World Trade Organization rules on domestic support in agriculture. Ben Conner, Director of Policy with U.S. Wheat’s Associates, attended the Buenos Aires Ministerial. He says at the meeting India and other countries attempted to create a permanent loophole for certain …
USTR Seeking Input on KORUS
The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office has asked a group of industry advisors to provide feedback on potential changes to the U.S. free trade agreement with Korea (KORUS). World Trade Online reports that USTR is seeking the feedback by mid-August, after recently asking its industry trade advisory committees for ideas on the implementation of the agreement and issues “impacting fair …