WASHINGTON – This week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Biden-Harris Administration secured over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access across the globe for America’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers since taking office. Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, the four-year average of U.S. agriculture exports has increased by 28.5 percent compared to the previous four years.
USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip also traveled to Wisconsin last week to amplify the latest market access win, a recent agreement with the Republic of Chile that gives U.S. farmers and producers the opportunity to grow their businesses and to supply Chilean consumers with specialty cheeses and meats using certain terms, including cheddar, gouda, provolone, prosciutto, and salami.
A comprehensive list of achievements secured for U.S. agricultural producers during the Biden-Harris Administration and through close cooperation between USTR and USDA can be found here.
Read more below:
Representative Jim Costa (CA-21):
“The Biden-Harris Administration delivered a BIG win for America’s farmers and ranchers by securing over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access worldwide! Thanks to their leadership, American agriculture is reaching more global markets.”
Almond Board of California:
“More than 70% of California almonds are exported, so the industry relies heavily on markets staying open. Specialty crops are not always the center of attention, but these almond market access wins directly benefit our 7,600 California growers, their families and their communities.”
Emily Skor, CEO of Growth Energy:
“Exports of bioethanol are on track to set a record this year, and sales abroad continue to be vitally important to the U.S. biofuel and agriculture industries. Over the last few years, we’ve been especially pleased to see trade barriers removed in Japan and Canada. This has given American biofuel producers greater access to both those markets, and that wouldn't have happened were it not for the dedicated work of Ambassador Tai and Secretary Vilsack. We commend their efforts on behalf of the biofuel industry and its farm partners, and we look forward to continuing our work with USTR and USDA to level the playing field for American biofuel producers even further.”
Ryan LeGrand, CEO of the U.S. Grains Council:
“As an organization dedicated to developing markets, enabling trade and improving lives, we appreciate the Administration’s effort to expand American agriculture’s reach around the world, especially through programs like the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program.”
Inside Trade: USTR touts ag ‘wins’ as proof of ‘successful recipe’ under Biden
[Hannah Monicken, 9/30/2024]
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Monday outlined a range of “achievements” in opening markets for U.S. agricultural products the agency says account for more than $26.7 billion in new market access, so-called “wins” USTR’s top agricultural official cites as evidence of a “successful recipe” for trade under the Biden administration.
In a fact sheet released by USTR on Monday, the agency lists tariff reductions and removal of regulatory barriers from more than 30 countries, ranging from Australia’s lifting of restrictions on U.S. cherries in July to India’s cuts of tariffs on several U.S. agricultural products last year as a part of resolving outstanding World Trade Organization disputes with Washington.
“This administration has worked hard to rebuild trust in trade,” USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip told Inside U.S. Trade on Monday, addressing the achievements claims. The goal has been to show that trade can benefit producers of every size, he said.
Agri-Pulse: Biden administration touts record on ag trade
[Steve Davies, 9/30/2024]
The value of U.S. agricultural exports over the past four years is 28.5% higher than when Joe Biden became president, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA announced Monday.
“Sometimes, folks in D.C. expect to see a long acronym, a fancy title” for trade deals, McKalip said, but farmers and ranchers “don't care if there's not a really super-long acronym, or if it takes five years and a bunch of negotiating rounds. They just want to see a change of market access, and that's certainly what we're showing here.”
The USDA-USTR news release said the expanded market access has contributed to "the four largest annual export values between 2021 and 2024, including a record-high of $196 billion in agricultural exports in 2022."
POLITICO Ag: Q&A: US Chief Agricultural Negotiator Doug McKalip
[Marcia Brown, 9/30/2024]
Chief Agriculture Negotiator Doug McKalip is touting the Biden administration’s trade wins — even as the agriculture-trade deficit ticks higher. To McKalip, the critics are selectively ignoring key Biden victories, such as removing regulatory barriers to trade...[He] strongly defended Biden’s record on agricultural trade, pointing to a four-year average of ag exports up 28.5 percent over the previous four years. A new release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative Monday boasts that the Biden administration has “preserved or opened up” $26.7 billion in global market access.
Brownfield Ag News: Biden Admin Announces $26.7B in Market Access for U.S. Ag Producers
[Brent Barnett, 10/1/2024]
The Chief Ag Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says the Biden administration has secured more than $26.7 billion in agricultural market access for the ag industry.
Doug McKalip tells Brownfield, “The nation is 28.5% higher on agricultural trade and exports compared to the previous four years.”
He says the administration has helped reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers. “For example, just over the course of the last year the nation of India has dropped 10 agricultural tariffs. Those are all tariffs that are now lower, and our farmers and ranchers can export into their country more easily.”
Inside Trade: McKalip: Farmers seeing ‘huge’ ag trade results without FTA push
[Hannah Monicken, 9/26/2024]
U.S. agricultural producers are seeing the kind of results they want from “huge” wins, including the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers in a range of countries, despite a lack of traditional free trade agreement negotiations, Doug McKalip, the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, said here this week.
“I think one of the stories that hasn't really been written about this administration's trade success is that they may not come in blocks, but the cumulative wins are amazingly impressive,” he argued, pointing to examples from the last year, including a reduction of Indian tariffs on a range of agricultural goods, the Chile deal and the opening up of beef exports to Japan, among others.
He noted that he had heard a lot of appreciation and enthusiasm for efforts like that with Chile while talking to Wisconsin producers – along with urging to do more of it.
“Clearly, the singles and doubles score runs,” McKalip said in the interview. “They don't have to come in the form of, you know, a big agreement that has a fancy name, that goes through years and years of process. We're getting results [on] maybe a seven-month negotiation or an 11-month negotiation, rather than something that takes six years and [a party] could drop out of.”
“That's a big difference between how we're approaching versus maybe what people have gotten used to from a decade ago,” he added.
AgNet News Hour: Monday 10-01-2024
[10/01/24]
In this episode, Doug McKalip, Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, joins Sabrina Halvorson to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s success in boosting U.S. agricultural market access by 28.5% over the past four years. He highlights strategies to capitalize on new export opportunities, with a focus on specialty crops, sustainability, and the role of international organizations. McKalip also emphasizes the importance of tariff reductions for American farmers and ranchers.
Winona Daily News: Doug McKalip talks about export dollars and new deals with the Chilean government in Chippewa Falls
[9/26/24]
Doug McKalip who has served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the United States Trade Representative since 2023 addressed Chippewa Falls on Wednesday.
Brownfield Ag News: McKalip praises trade agreement with Chile
[Brent Barnett, 9/24/2024]
A key U.S. trade official says a new agreement with Chile will help improve market access for a number of U.S. cheese and meat products.
Doug McKalip, Chief Ag Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, says the agreement confirms a mutual understanding that U.S. producers of meats and cheeses will not be excluded from the Chilean market.
“There have been some efforts underway recently where the European Union and others have been trying to corner the market on certain names of products,” he said. “We here in the U.S. have been making high quality cheeses like parmesan and mozzarella for decades upon decades.”
According to USTR, the agreement gives U.S. producers the opportunity to grow their businesses and to supply Chilean consumers with specialty cheeses and meats using certain terms, including cheddar, gouda, provolone, prosciutto, and salami. The deal ensures that current and future U.S. exporters of certain cheeses and meats will continue to be able to use those terms in Chile going forward.
Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network: Commodity naming rights agreement keeps trade going in Chile
[Riley Smith, 9/26/2024]
The U.S. recently signed an agreement with Chile to continue uninterrupted trade after a dispute arose over naming rights for products like cheese. Doug McKalip, chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. Trade Representative, said this agreement is good news for U.S. farmers.
The European Union is trying to get access to product names like parmesan for cheese and prevent other countries like the U.S. from being able to sell that product in various world markets. McKalip said the addendum to the free trade agreement with Chile is one that the U.S. will pursue with other countries.
McKalip said the USTR’s Office is determined to build on this kind of success.
Brownfield Ag News: Trade wins piling up, McKalip says
[Brent Barnett, 9/26/2024]
The chief ag negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says agricultural exports have some momentum heading into 2025.
Doug McKalip tells Brownfield trade wins have been accumulating. “The recent Chile agreement on meats and cheeses,” he said. “Within the last few months, the United Kingdom has dropped its duty on powdered milk. Ecuador recently made changes to its law to help with the importation of dairy. The nation of Peru opened up its market to U.S. sausage.”
He says the U.S. has also knocked down some barriers. “We have had over a dozen tariffs come down in the past year on a whole variety of agricultural commodities.”
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