Resource Center
Agriculture
USTR's Office of Agricultural Affairs has overall responsibility for negotiations and policy coordination regarding agriculture. Staff works with the Chief Agriculture Negotiator and other USTR officials as appropriate.
Specific responsibilities include Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and World Trade Organization (WTO) Development Agenda (Doha) negotiations on agriculture, operation of the WTO Committees on Agriculture and on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, agricultural regulatory issues (e.g., biotechnology, cloning, BSE, nanotechnology, other bilateral SPS issues, and customs issues affecting agriculture), monitoring and enforcement of existing WTO and FTA commitments for agriculture (including SPS issues), and WTO accession negotiations on agriculture market access, domestic supports and export competition, and SPS matters.
The office monitors U.S. implementation of Farm Bill programs to ensure consistency with international obligations in the WTO, and also is responsible for policy coordination of U.S. activities in agriculture committees of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
11/19/2009
Kirk Comments on Ashton Appointment as EU High Representative
11/18/2009
11/16/2009
Reaction On U.S. Engagement In The Trans-Pacific Partnership
11/16/2009
11/15/2009
11/3/2009
10/22/2009
9/30/2009
9/18/2009
Implementation of the U.S.-EC Beef Hormones Memorandum of Understanding
8/26/2009
Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) Notice Regarding the 2009 Annual Review
7/24/2009
Report to Congress on U.S. Equipment Industry Access to the Galileo Program and Markets
6/30/2009
Report on Bolivia and Ecuador with Regard to the Andean Trade Preference Act
5/13/2009
Memorandum of Understand Between U.S. and EU on Beef Dispute
5/1/2009
4/30/2009
11/20/2009
Remarks by Ambassador Ron Kirk at the United Negro College Fund
11/13/2009
Address of United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk to the APEC CEO Summit in Singapore
11/5/2009
Remarks by Ambassador Ron Kirk at the U.S.-Korea Business Council
11/4/2009
Remarks by Ambassador Ron Kirk at the Annual District Export Council Conference
11/3/2009
11/13/2009
USTR FACT SHEET: Trans-Pacific Partnership
11/6/2009
ACTA - Summary of Key Elements Under Discussion
10/29/2009
U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade
9/17/2009
7/16/2009
Softwood Lumber
Resolution Overview
Consistent with the terms of the Agreement, as amended, the United States and Canada will end a large portion of the litigation over trade in softwood lumber, and unrestricted trade will occur in favorable market conditions.
When the lumber market is soft, as it is currently, Canadian exporting provinces can choose either to collect an export tax that ranges from 5 to 15 percent as prices fall or to collect lower export taxes and limit export volumes. The agreement also includes provisions to address potential Canadian import surges, provide for effective dispute settlement, distribute the antidumping and countervailing (anti-subsidy) duty deposits currently held by the United States, and discipline future trade cases.
An industry-led bi-national working group will also be established under the agreement to discuss provincial policy reforms.