Tester, Perdue release statements on EU-US beef trade agreement

Staff and wire report 

Following the announcement that the European Union has agreed to allow the United States to increase beef exports to the E.U., U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., released Friday a statement on the agreement.

“Montana produces some of the finest beef in the world. This deal allows ranchers to sell even more of their high-quality beef  in the global marketplace — which will boost production, create jobs, and make it easier to make a living ranching here in Montana,” Tester said. “We should always be working to expand markets, not contract them, so all Montana producers can continue to thrive.”

President Trump announced Friday that the U.S. will now be able to export more beef into the E.U. without paying duties. American ranchers will be able to export more beef annually, phasing up to 35,000 tons of beef in seven years, effectively doubling the current export rate of roughly 16,500 tons a year.

“EU consumers desire high-quality products, and I have no doubt that when given the opportunity to purchase U.S. products we will see more Europeans choose to buy American. America’s farmers and ranchers are the most productive on earth and I thank President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer for their continued work to promote the bounty of the American harvest across the world,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a statement Friday.