SOURCE:  FARMERS FOR FREE TRADE, 5/26/22

A broad and diverse group of American food and agriculture leaders today sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai office calling for the suspension, reduction or elimination of tariffs in order to ease the burden of retaliatory tariffs on the industry and American farm families. The letter, led by Farmers for Free Trade, comes as the Biden Administration is undergoing a mandatory review of recently increased tariffs and following Administration comments that tariff changes are under review as part of efforts to address inflation.

“Tariff relief could not come at a more important time,” the ag and food leaders wrote. “Rural America and small businesses are facing significant challenges due to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, logistical and supply chain disruptions, record levels of inflation, and the increasing impacts of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Our businesses are faced with surging fuel prices, skyrocketing fertilizer and other input costs, and continued uncertainty in the global market. With so many challenges threatening our livelihood, removal of tariffs on food and agriculture inputs and removal of burdensome retaliatory tariffs would provide immediate relief to America’s food producers.”

The letter makes a particular point of illustrating the negative impacts retaliatory tariffs have had on rural economies and farmers. America’s rural communities have been hard hit by rising costs for inputs and decreased market access.

“By rolling back 301 and 232 tariffs and eliminating retaliatory tariffs, you can increase market access for U.S. food and agriculture exports and reduce costs for critical machinery, fertilizer, agricultural chemicals and other food and agriculture inputs,” the letter points out. “These efforts would have an immediate effect and would ease the uncertainty felt by all rural America.”

As the Biden Administration undergoes their statutory review of tariffs and continues to weigh rollbacks to address inflation, Farmers for Free Trade will be continuing to advocate on behalf of the industry and farmers to help ease the lingering economic pain of the trade war.

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