NPPC Joins Agribusiness Coalition Urging Renewal of Miscellaneous Tariff Bill

Title: NPPC Joins Agribusiness Coalition Urging Renewal of Miscellaneous Tariff Bill

In a united effort, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has collaborated with 36 agribusiness groups and organizations to advocate for the renewal of the lapsed Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB).

The collective appeal, delivered in a letter addressed to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), emphasizes the significant financial impact since the MTB expiration in December 2020. The groups highlight that their members and other U.S. businesses have collectively shouldered over $1.5 billion in tariffs on imported products, including essential inputs crucial for commodity production. This surge in costs has not only affected jobs but has also led to increased prices for consumers.

The organizations stress the importance of renewing the MTB, citing its potential to lower input prices and alleviate price pressures for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and consumers. They assert that passing the MTB this year is vital to support the American agricultural supply chain.

The MTB, when active, temporarily reduces or suspends tariffs on imported products that are either unavailable or in short supply within the United States. NPPC and other agriculture entities view the MTB as a crucial tool to decrease production costs by minimizing or eliminating import tariffs on essential inputs, ultimately making end-use products more affordable for consumers. Notably, pork producers, who source many vitamins and minerals for hog feed from overseas, stand to benefit from the MTB renewal.