Statement of NPPC President Ken Maschhoff on USDA Establishing an Undersecretary for Trade

NPPC is very pleased that Secretary Perdue is establishing within USDA an undersecretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, a position that we and others in agriculture fought to get included in the 2014 Farm Bill.

Clearly, the Trump administration recognizes the importance of exports to U.S. agriculture, which has a trade surplus. The new undersecretary can help convey our message to the administration that it should work to preserve and expand foreign market access for U.S. agricultural products.

NPPC looks forward to working with the undersecretary to advance trade policies that will be beneficial for U.S. agriculture, including free trade agreements that eliminate all tariff and non-tariff barriers to our products.

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Ken Maschhoff is a pork producer from Carlyle, Ill.

NPPC is the global voice for the U.S. pork industry, protecting the livelihoods of America’s 60,000 pork producers, who abide by ethical principles in caring for their animals, in protecting the environment and public health and in providing safe, wholesome, nutritious pork products to consumers worldwide. For more information, visit www.nppc.org.