CATTLE PRODUCERS URGE CANDIDATES TO PLACE AGRICULTURE TRADE ON POLICY PLATFORM

WASHINGTON D.C. (August 1, 2000) - The U.S. must send a message to the world that international trade barriers have to be eliminated. The presidential candidates can begin making trade expansion a significant part of their policy proposals, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said today.

NCBA is part of a group of agriculture organizations that sent letters Friday to Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore.

The letters urged both candidates to place trade expansion high on his list of policy priorities for the 2000 presidential campaign.

“Even the best farm policy cannot undo bad trade policy,” the letter stated. “You must take the lead and send the message around the world that practices that distort trade must be eliminated.”

The world’s population is 6 billion, and only 4 percent of that number live in the United States. The population outside U.S. borders will continue to grow much faster. As these countries improve their economic status, they will increase their food consumption per capita.

Cattle and other commodity producers view this as a promising market for their products. Currently American cattle producers export about 12 percent of their product. This number marks an exponential increase from less than 1 percent two decades ago.

“This export market is one that has grown and will continue to grow,” said George Hall, NCBA president and a cattle producer from Mustang, Okla. “Placing foreign trade for agriculture high on the public debate list will draw attention to how critical trade is for cattle producers.”

U.S. cattle and other commodity growers are the most efficient in the world. The average U.S. citizen spends less than 11 percent of his income on food, the lowest in the world.

“Unfortunately, other governments have attempted to slow our progress by not allowing American agriculture to have access to their markets,” the letter stated.

Worldwide agricultural tariffs average more than 40 percent, with some as high as 300 percent. U.S. tariffs on ag products are less than 10 percent. Further, agriculture subsidies in Europe are four times what the U.S. government spends.

“By protecting inefficient producers and industries through these trade-distorting practices, governments cheat their consumers out of access to high-quality, low-cost food,” the letter stated. “They also use their resources less productively, which in turn inhibits their citizens ability to improve their quality of life.

“Agricultural trade and expansion will create new and better opportunities for U.S. producers and benefit consumers everywhere,” Hall said.

The letter listed other issues the candidates must examine to further help expand trade for agriculture products:

• Presidential Trade Negotiating Authority, formerly known as Fast Track. This would give the U.S. trade negotiators more credibility.
• Complete China’s entry into the World Trade Organization by supporting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China. This would offer the most significant opportunity for expansion of U.S. agricultural trade.
• Launch a comprehensive WTO negotiation and aggressively pursue expanding agriculture trade.
• Exempt agriculture and food products from all trade sanctions and embargoes because food should not be used as a weapon.
• Eliminate barriers to trade in products made from biotechnology.

“In aggressively pursing these policies, the candidates and the next president will be making great strides to show that they understand how important increased international trade is to cattle producers and others,” Hall said.

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association is the  trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.