The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), which was created to incentivize two-way trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries, allows the president to offer duty-free access to certain nations. However, some of the countries benefitting from AGOA have prohibitive restrictions on U.S. beef and pork imports. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Director of Export Services Jim Remcheck said the USMEF sent a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining several of the organization’s concerns.
While the AGOA has typically been used to advance changes in human rights, worker rights, or political reforms, Remcheck said it can also be used to leverage market access for U.S. agricultural products.
For more information, visit usmef.org.
