Plenty of Ag Trade Opportunities for Europe and the U.S.

European agriculture officials gave a presentation at the American Farm Bureau’s 100th Annual Convention and trade with the U.S. was the number one topic. The officials say there are abundant opportunities for farm trade between the United States and European Union. They say those opportunities are there despite European insistence on keeping agriculture out of free trade discussions. European officials excluded farm goods to streamline the negotiations and concentrate on vehicles and industrial products.

There are issues that the EU and U.S. have to work on, including geographic indicators for dairy products and the approval of genetically modified crops. However, European leaders say there will continue to be opportunities for U.S. products in Europe, including soybeans, biofuels, and other products, even without agriculture in the free trade negotiations.

Officials speaking at the Farm Bureau convention say the perception that the European market is closed is “misleading,” and it’s a big market of 500 million people that imports a lot of food. The U.S. and Europe have recently worked through several key food safety issues on products like almonds and Florida oranges.

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