Multiple agriculture organizations are urging Congress to give President Joe Biden the authority to negotiate a comprehensive trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
Known as the UNITED Act, the legislation has been introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate. In a letter to members of Congress, agricultural groups said the companion bills would grant Biden, in consultation with Congress, the ability to seek a comprehensive trade agreement between the U.S. and the U.K.
“As supporters of trade agreements that advance American strategic and economic interests, we see these bills as a tremendous opportunity,” the letter said. “A comprehensive trade agreement with the U.K. would broaden the scope of exporting opportunities for American businesses, strengthen our supply chain resilience, and improve the well-being of our consumers.”
Some of the farm and ag groups that signed the letter include the International Fresh Produce Association, the U.S. Apple Association, the Northwest Horticultural Council, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas and the American Fruit and Vegetable Processors and Growers Coalition.
“The U.K. was once a significant market for U.S. apples and could be again with a trade agreement and a rational set of rules in place,” U.S. Apple Association President and CEO Jim Bair said in a news release. “We’re calling on Congress to pass the UNITED Act quickly and on the president to use the authority completely.”
