| SUN VALLEY, Idaho, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Rep.
Mike Simpson (R-ID) told participants at the International
Sweetener Symposium here today, "I believe in free
markets but we can't sacrifice our farmers and producers on
the altar of free trade when it doesn't exist, and may never
exist."
Simpson, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, with
strong interests in trade issues, said it is his observation
that "other countries value agriculture more than we
do." He said unfortunately the U.S. has been
"willing to sign (trade) agreements that would undermine
our ability to support our farmers."
Even with existing trade agreements, such as NAFTA, those
interested in circumventing the intent of the agreements find
"ways to get around them," he said.
As for supporting TPA, or "trade promotion
authority" that gives the President authority to
negotiate trade agreements that must be voted on up or down by
the Congress without amendments, Simpson said the biggest
obstacle to getting lawmakers to grant TPA is the experience
of "past agreements." Simpson said he and others who
share his views in Congress want to make sure that they get
support for agriculture before they commit fully to TPA. He
said he doesn't want U.S. agriculture to have its interests
ignored in future agreements, as has been the trend in past
trade pacts.
Speaking of work by the House Agriculture Committee on the
upcoming Farm Bill, Simpson said, "We will do whatever we
can to maintain a viable sugar program in this country."
He said the candy makers and others who have advocated
eliminating the U.S. sugar program would not benefit in the
long run if that occurred, thus threatening their supply line.
He also said he took a dim view of the candy makers' claims
that they were moving to Mexico for cheaper sugar, since the
price of sugar in Mexico is higher than in the U.S. However,
the manufacturers were able to get world dump-market sugar for
their products, as long as they exported the finished product,
he said. "If that is not a clear violation of NAFTA, it
certainly violates the spirit of the agreement," he said.
Simpson assured the more than 300 participants at the
Symposium, "I want a government that stands up and fights
for our producers."
The American Sugar Alliance is a national coalition of
growers, processors and refiners of sugarbeets, sugarcane and
corn for sweetener.
For more information about U.S. sugar policy visit American
Sugar Alliance at http://www.sugaralliance.org
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