Mobile Menu - OpenMobile Menu - Closed
Twitter icon
Facebook icon
Instagram icon
YouTube icon
RSS icon

Farm welfare or national security? Ag stands on front line of trade wars

July 25, 2018
In The News
Greg Hilburn
Monroe News Star

Louisiana Farm Bureau President Ronnie Anderson bristled when he heard some lawmakers refer to a plan to make $12 billion available to farmers hurt by President Donald Trump's trade war tariffs as welfare for farmers.

"When they say that, I don't think they fully understand that food security is national security," Anderson said.

No Louisiana industry could me more affected by retaliation for Trump's tariffs on foreign goods than agriculture, which generates about $13 billion in annual economic activity in the state. Trump and his U.S. Department of Agriculture hope the $12 billion in aid announced this week will mitigate potential losses for farmers and asked farmers to be patient as the president tries to improve America's position on trade. On Wednesday, the president announced an agreement with the European Union in which the EU agreed to import more U.S. soybeans and liquefied natural gas, which would be a win for America in the trade wars. 

Fifth District U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, said the president's actions to mitigate harm to farmers is appropriate.

“Agriculture is simply too important to the United States and Louisiana for farmers to shoulder all of the burden of China’s illegal tariffs, and President Trump is right to find ways to help them," said Abraham, Louisiana's only member of Congress on the House Agriculture Committee. "I look forward to the USDA providing more details of its plan to provide relief to farmers during these trade negotiations,” added Abraham, who is also on the conference committee that will craft final language for the new Farm Bill.
 
To read the full story, click here.