U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins is set to visit Rome, Italy, on June 2-3. The visit aims to reinforce the Administration's expectations for improved agricultural market access to Italy and the European Union. Secretary Rollins will also encourage United Nations organizations in Rome to prioritize American interests, reduce costs, and focus on their core mandates.
"The United States’ relationships with Italian buyers and consumers foster tens of billions in bilateral trade and investment. However, U.S. agricultural stakeholders have been unfairly left behind for far too long by the European Union and Italy’s high tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and numerous non-tariff barriers," said Secretary Brooke Rollins. "In coordination with Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, we at USDA will continue working to level the playing field and increase market opportunities with the EU and Italy for hard-working U.S. farmers, ranchers, foresters, and food processors."
During her visit, Secretary Rollins will meet with senior Italian government officials and international organization leaders including Francesco Lollobrigida, Italian Minister of Agriculture; Marta Youth, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy; Rodney Hunter from the U.S. Mission to UN Agencies in Rome; Qu Dongyu from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization; and Cindy McCain from the UN World Food Programme.
Secretary Rollins prioritizes advocating for American agriculture globally by increasing access for American products in existing markets, opening new markets with strong demand for these products, and ensuring fair treatment of American farmers by trading partners. This comes after four years under the Biden Administration that led to a significant deficit in America’s agricultural trade balance.
This trade mission follows Secretary Rollins's recent trip to the UK in May and precedes future visits planned over the next four months to India, Vietnam, Japan, Peru, and Brazil. Other USDA Trade Missions this year include destinations such as Peru, Dominican Republic, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mexico.
The UK ranks as the United States's fourteenth largest agricultural export market where U.S producers face high tariffs and non-tariff barriers when exporting goods. In India—a nation where America is a significant supplier—the U.S has a $1.3 billion agricultural trade deficit. Brazil presents a $7 billion deficit for U.S agriculture while Japan remains a top market for key commodities like corn beef pork wheat rice soybeans despite similar challenges faced by exporters there due lack formal agreements compared major competitors such China which currently hold favorable terms within Vietnamese territory placing tenth overall ranking amongst its global peers trading partners###
