USDA announced Tuesday its plans for an “America First Trade Promotion Plan” that will utilize international market development funding recently approved in the budget reconciliation bill. In a press release, USDA added that it will launch a new model of trade missions – supplementing the current model – targeting reciprocal trade deal countries.
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:
This additional investment in trade promotion programs will allow U.S. farmers and ranchers to continue to build value for U.S. beef, pork and lamb and grow diversity in global demand. Current trade deals with key partners like Japan, Korea, Mexico, Canada, Central America, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and more are paying dividends with real growth in U.S. red meat purchases. The reciprocal agreements are expected to provide new opportunities in the ASEAN region, the United Kingdom and the European Union, and USDA’s positioning to help industry capture this additional potential is much appreciated.
