USDA hopes to break down barriers to agriculture trade

The USDA is hoping to remove barriers in five countries that are making it difficult for the US to trade.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday (Feb 24) he expects the US agriculture-trade surplus to rise by "several billion dollars" in coming years.

"What we hope to do is break down barriers in five countries that currently are making it difficult for us to trade," Vilsack told House lawmakers in a hearing. He did not name the five countries.

Some examples of foreign barriers to US farm exports include Russian bans on US chicken and pork, China's ban on US pork and Japanese restrictions on US beef. Removing trade barriers, Vilsack said, would help increase "our trade surplus by several billion dollars."

Last week, USDA Under Secretary Jim Miller said the agricultural trade surplus for fiscal year 2010 is projected to reach US$22.5 billion.