“That’s why France, along with the European Commission, has opposed any trade negotiations with the United States on agricultural products,” he said, Bloomberg reported.
Those comments come about a month after the EU agreed to allow the use of U.S. soybeans in biodiesel.
But, last week, the EU warned it would suspend commitments to purchase U.S. soybeans if President Trump moved forward with auto tariffs.
American farmers are hopeful the EU will change its mind about ag trade.
“As a farmer and a director with the American Soybean Association (ASA), I feel agriculture should be included in any trade talks,” Pam Snelson from Wann, Okla., told Farms.com. “The ASA has repeatedly requested that agriculture be a part of the U.S. and EU trade agreement. The (United States Trade Representative) included ag in their negotiation, but the EU has not.”
The EU imported a total of about US$156 billion worth of ag goods in 2017.
The European Union is preparing to renegotiate its Common Agricultural Policy. The legislation implements several ag subsidies and other programs.
With Britain’s departure from the bloc, the European Commission has proposed about US$414 billion in ag spending for the next budget, which runs from 2021 to 2027. That figure represents about a 5 percent reduction in ag spending.
“European agriculture has always been a given, (and) it is today under threat,” Macron said during the farm show, Reuters reported. “No farmer or consumer wants to be subjected to the diktat of non-European countries.”
Farms.com has reached out to the American Farm Bureau Federation and the United States Department of Agriculture for comment.