Trade Policy
No nation has grown in isolation, and trade is what brings many nations together. According to the United Nations, significant increases in global trade since the 1990s have enabled more than a billion people to escape extreme poverty and destitution. USAEDC and its members appreciate the pivotal role that international trade plays in fostering global economic development.
While USAEDC is not an advocacy organization and does not seek to influence the legislative process, USAEDC and its members support efforts to expand international trade and strongly believe that a rules-based, non-discriminatory multilateral trading system is essential for ensuring unimpeded flow of goods and services across our borders. USAEDC also supports bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) which provide the U.S. increased access to foreign markets.
As such, USAEDC and its members oppose restrictions on exports of U.S. agricultural commodities for national security or foreign policy reasons that are not supported by all other major world producers and exporters.
USAEDC also supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service policy positions that seek to 1) eliminate all tariff and non-tariff barriers for all agricultural products and 2) establish international trade rules and standards that are transparent, science-based, and predictable.
USAEDC and its members monitor many aspects of international trade policy, including initiatives at the World Trade Organization and the trade agreements currently in force between the U.S. and 20 other countries.