U.S., United Kingdom Trade Discussions Ongoing; Mexico Issues New Decree

Salmonsen: Both countries are engaging in something called dialogues where they are exploring issues trying to get better relationships. The U.S. and UK in agriculture have a pretty robust trade: each country sends about $2 billion worth annually to the other, but it certainly is something that definitely can be improved.

Salmonsen: Farm Bureau certainly supports that. There’re several barriers, the United Kingdom is still moving away from their time as being part of the European Union. Their regulatory system needs a push, they need to move closer to a science-based standards system that we have. They need to reduce their tariffs, they signed trade agreements this past year with both Australia and New Zealand where they're phasing out tariffs on food imports, and we need the same treatment.

Salmonsen: They want to phase out fairly quickly the imports of white corn from the U.S. and look to some point next year or beyond phase down imports of yellow corn. None of this has any basis in science, so, this is giving more impetus to the folks urging our Trade Representative’s office just to bring a case under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement against Mexico. Certainly we think this is a very clear trade violation of that agreement.