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Farmers press USTR to drop China tariffs plan
Story Date: 5/9/2018
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Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 5/8/18
Scores of farmers have flooded the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative with opposition to the administration's plan to slap duties on up to $150 billion worth of Chinese goods. Farmers from states such as Kansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania are urging USTR to come to a quick agreement that removes U.S. farm goods from the crosshairs of a tit-for-tat trade war, Pro Trade's Doug Palmer reports.
"Many commodities are nearing their lowest prices in decades," wrote Sydney Conner, an American Farm Bureau member from Jamestown, Kan. who said "If America is to continue to feed the world, we need open markets to receive our goods. No level of government assistance will make up for the long-term loss of global markets, and farmers and ranchers would much rather earn their income from the marketplace."
A unified theme: Comments from Farm Bureau members followed a common thread: Farmers want more market access, not increased duties or non-tariff barriers with the U.S.'s No. 2 agricultural export market. In 2016, U.S. farmers and ranchers shipped $21 billion worth of agricultural goods, such as pork, cotton and soybeans to China, according to USTR figures.
"It's counterproductive to engage in a trade dispute that implicates U.S. agricultural exports," wrote Bill Shipley, president of the Iowa Soybean Association. "Soybean, pork, beef, corn, and distillers grain contribute to one of the few U.S. trade surpluses."
The outpouring comes after the American Farm Bureau Federation sent out an action alert, urging members to convey their concerns to the administration. So far, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has received approximately 1,000 comments on the proposed tariffs, most of them in opposition.
Extended hearing: Meanwhile, USTR has received so many requests to testify at its hearing next week on the Trump administration's plan that it may have to schedule additional days. The hearing - originally set for May 15 - "may extend another day or two due to the number of witnesses," a USTR spokeswoman said in an email.
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