Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent letters to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai and international grain trader, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)’s Chief Executive Officer Juan Luciano, regarding the European Union (EU)’s new environmental mandate prohibiting the import of certain commodities, such as soybeans, if they do not satisfy specific EU “deforestation” standards. Senator Hawley urges Tai and Luciano to consider the impact on Missouri farmers.
The implementation of this foreign law on U.S. soil will cause farmers to travel lengthy distances and incur additional costs to sell their products. ADM’s enforcement of this law, such as by restricting the use of its facilities and grain elevators, will be detrimental to Missouri farmers.
In his letter to USTR Senator Hawley wrote, “This is fundamentally unfair: since the EUDR was passed in 2023, there is no way that American farmers could have adjusted their post-2020 practices to prepare in advance for this mandate. Countless farmers will now be disqualified from the European market through no fault of their own.”
In his letter to ADM Senator Hawley wrote, “[ADM’s] decision will devastate Missouri farmers. Farmers whose soybeans are ‘out of compliance’ with European law will be forced to sell them elsewhere, with all the attendant costs and burdens.”
Read the full letter to USTR here.
Read the full letter to ADM here.