USW Policy Team Update: Laudeman Discusses WTO Ministerial Conference, Japan Trade Team’s Upcoming Visit to D.C.
The U.S. Wheat Associates’ (USW) Policy Team is busy preparing to host a Japan Trade Team in Washington, D.C. this month. It’s an opportunity for USW Vice President of Policy Dalton Henry and Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman to meet face-to-face with valuable customers of U.S. wheat and discuss the U.S. wheat industry. Last […]
U.S. Wheat Associates Sees Positive Outcome at WTO Ministerial Conference
To misquote Mark Twain, reports of the death of agricultural negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) are exaggerated. That is a key message for the world’s wheat growers and buyers following the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In the WTO photo above, Director General Okonjo-Iweala encouraged members to […]
USW Explores Opportunities to Collaborate with Australia on Policy Initiatives
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) Director of Trade Policy Peter Laudeman is in Australia this week to engage grain industry stakeholders in that country and explore ongoing global issues involving trade, plant breeding technologies and World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments. While a major competitor for U.S. wheat, Australia presents many opportunities for collaboration on policy initiatives […]
The Beginning of a New Food Security Initiative?
A new paper on food security submitted by the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO) has to date received little attention but it could signify a meaningful shift in dealing with agriculture issues at the WTO. That paper, entitled “The World Trade Organization’s Role in Enhancing Food Security” suggests that facilitating rules- and […]
Good Things that Did and Did Not Happen at the WTO Ministerial
Late spring is a notoriously busy time on U.S. farms. This may partly explain why last month’s World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meetings in Geneva largely came and went without much notice from U.S. farmers or farm media. Or maybe U.S. farmers have tuned out the inner machinations of a 25-year-old organization that has been […]
China Exceeded Annual Wheat TRQ Volume in 2021
China’s latest customs numbers are in, and the news is significant. After clearing 933,500 metric tons of wheat through customs in December, China in calendar year 2021 exceeded its 9.636 million metric ton (MMT) annual wheat TRQ (tariff rate quota) established in its World Trade Organization (WTO) membership. The official tally was 9.718 MMT of […]
Congress Shines Spotlight on India’s Trade-Distorting Domestic Wheat and Rice Support
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) is very pleased that several members of Congress have asked Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai to pursue a World Trade Organization (WTO) case against India’s trade-distorting domestic wheat and rice support. In separate letters to those officials, members of the U.S. Senate and House of […]
U.S. Agricultural Organizations Ask for Positive Reforms at the World Trade Organization
U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) recently joined a coalition of several U.S. agricultural organizations calling on the Biden Administration to work toward reforms to the World Trade Organization (WTO) “that lead to a market opening agenda for agriculture and a better functioning institution.” USW signed the July 23, 2021, letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai […]
Chinese Government Grain Policy TRQ Dispute Moving Ahead
By Ben Conner, Partner, DTB AgriTrade Over the last several years, U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) and other industry groups have demonstrated how the policies of a few advanced developing countries are distorting world wheat trade and hurting farmers in the United States and other wheat exporting countries. Chinese government grain policy attracted special attention, leading […]
World Trade Organization (WTO) Rules Matter to Farmers and Buyers
By Ben Conner, Partner, DTB Associates The World Trade Organization (WTO) is preparing for its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in Geneva at the end of the year; meanwhile, there is widespread concern that the organization is drifting into irrelevance. But for U.S. farmers, the rules established by the WTO are directly relevant to their work […]
