Food Aid: More Important Now Than Ever
By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to push an estimated 71 to 140 million people into extreme poverty according to studies by the United Nations and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). According to the IFPRI study, “a global health crisis could thus cause a major food […]
The Future of Plant Breeding Depends on Sound Science-Based Policy
By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy New breeding technologies are forecast to offer many promises for consumers, producers and the environment. Plant Breeding Innovations (PBI) is a term defined by the International Seed Federation as, “the constantly evolving ideas and practices which enhance the field of plant breeding. Today’s innovations in plant breeding […]
USDA Revises Rules on Biotechnology and Plant Breeding Innovations
By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy On May 18, 2020, USDA and its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIS) published revised rules intended to modernize its regulatory system on genetically engineered organisms and other breeding technologies through a science-based system. USDA said this new rule will help give U.S. farmers access to […]
U.S. Wheat Associates Provides Comments on U.S.-Kenya Trade Negotiations
By Shelbi Knisley, Director of Trade Policy U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) supports free trade through multilateral, regional and bilateral trade agreements. USW works closely with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to ensure favorable terms for wheat exports in all trade negotiations. An opportunity to do […]
India Invokes WTO “Peace Clause” with Implications for Global Wheat Trade
By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy India has invoked the “peace clause” on its domestic agricultural support limits for rice, by notifying the World Trade Organization (WTO) that it has breached its support limits. By claiming its subsidies are part of its public stocks program for food security, invoking the “peace clause” cannot […]
Seeking Beneficial Cooperation at the Canadian Crops Convention
As an organization that has represented farmers in export markets for 40 years, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) has a sincere interest in their welfare no matter where they farm. That concern is perhaps most intense for the world’s wheat farmers. For example, USW values its relationship with Canada’s wheat producers. And while we compete wholeheartedly […]
The United States and Kenya Launch Trade Talks, Agree to Lift PNW Wheat Barrier
By Shelbi Knisley, USW Director of Trade Policy U.S. wheat producers welcomed recent news that Kenya lifted a trade barrier on some U.S. grown wheat and agreed at the same time to initiate talks on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). An FTA with Kenya could provide more favorable tariff and sanitary-phytosanitary (SPS) provisions for U.S. […]