The ATP is one of three USDA programs created to mitigate the effects of unjustified trade retaliation against U.S. farmers and exporters.

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USMEF pulled pork
U.S. Meat Export Federation

The U.S. Meat Export Federation is one of 57 organizations that will receive Agriculture Trade Promotion funding through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. The ATP is one of three USDA programs created to mitigate the effects of unjustified trade retaliation against U.S. farmers and exporters.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the recepients and more details on the $200 million ATP package that will help U.S. exporters develop new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ tariff and non-tariff barriers.

“At USDA, we are always looking to expand existing markets or open new ones, so we are proud to make good on the third leg of the President’s promise to America’s farmers,” says Secretary Perdue. “This infusion will help us develop other markets and move us away from being dependent on one large customer for our agricultural products. This is seed money, leveraged by hundreds of millions of dollars from the private sector, that will help to increase our agricultural exports.”

All sectors of U.S. agriculture, including fish and forest product producers, were eligible to apply for cost-share assistance under the ATP. FAS evaluated applications according to criteria that included the potential for export growth in the target market, direct injury from the imposed retaliatory tariffs, and the likelihood that the proposed project or activity will have a near-term impact on agricultural exports.

“We were pleased to see the large demand for participation in the program, and truly got some out-of-the-box ideas that we are hopeful will expand our global footprint,” Perdue says. “We examined all applications carefully, considered our ranking criteria, and awarded the funds in order to make the best use of taxpayer dollars in growing agricultural trade.”

Following Thursday's announcement, USMEF president and CEO Dan Halstrom issued the following statement:

“USMEF appreciates the Trump administration's recognition of the extremely competitive environment U.S. agricultural products face in the global marketplace, and how changes in trading partners' tariff rates can put these products at a significant disadvantage. As authorized by FAS, this funding will help USMEF and other organizations defend existing market share and develop new destinations for U.S. agricultural products, which is especially important at a time when trade disputes and preferential trade agreements have further intensified competition in many key markets.”

Source: USMEF, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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