Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC)

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE

CHARTER OF THE  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ADVISORY COMMITTEES FOR TRADE APAC and ATACs

The Secretary of Agriculture after consultation with the U.S. Trade Representative on the need for a Trade Representatives Agriculture Advisory program, hereby recharters the following advisory committees on trade (hereinafter the "Committees"):

The Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) for Trade; and

The Agricultural Technical Advisory Committees (ATACs) for Trade, consisting of six ATACs for Trade in the following commodity groups: 1) Animals and Animal Products; 2) Fruits and Vegetables; 3) Grains, Feed and Oilseeds; 4) Sweeteners and Sweetener Products; 5) Tobacco, Cotton, Peanuts, and Planting Seeds; and 6) Processed Foods.

These Committees are authorized by Sections 135(c)(1) and (2) of the Trade Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-618), as amended. They are intended to ensure that representative elements of the private sector have an opportunity to provide their views on trade and trade policy matters to the U.S. government. The Committees provide the formal mechanism through which the U.S. government may seek advice and information from the private sector. The renewal of these Committees is in the public interest in connection with the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. No other agencies or existing advisory committees supply this private sector advice regarding agricultural trade.

The Committees will advise the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative concerning the following: negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into a trade agreement; the operation of an agreement once entered into; and, other matters arising in connection with the administration of the trade policy of the United States.

At the conclusion of negotiations for each trade agreement entered into under the Trade Act of 1974, each Committee affected is required by law to provide a report on such agreement to the President, to Congress, and to the U.S. Trade Representative.