U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins will visit Rome, Italy, on June 2-3. During her visit, Secretary Rollins will reinforce the Administration’s expectations for improved agricultural market access to Italy and the European Union and will encourage the United Nations organizations in Rome to prioritize American interests, reduce costs, and focus on their core mandates.
“The United States’ relationships with Italian buyers and consumers foster tens of billions in bilateral trade and investment. However, U.S. agricultural stakeholders have been unfairly left behind for far too long by the European Union and Italy’s high tariffs on U.S. agricultural products and numerous non-tariff barriers,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “In coordination with Ambassador Tilman Fertitta, we at USDA will continue working to level the playing field and increase market opportunities with the EU and Italy for hard-working U.S. farmers, ranchers, foresters, and food processors.”
Secretary Rollins will meet with senior Italian government and International Organization officials, including the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Embassy Marta Youth, Charge d’Affaires for the U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome Rodney Hunter, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Qu Dongyu, and UN World Food Programme Executive Director Cindy McCain.