Posted on 03/23/2018 8:16:20 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
U.S. agriculture is bracing itself potentially costly tit-for-tat trade retaliation between the Washington and Beijing that could hit everything from American pork to wine.
"The producers of the commodities that are being targeted will probably feel the effects of it," said Larry Karp, an agricultural economist at the University of California at Berkeley. "And there's no reason to think that the Chinese will stop at this."
On Friday, China's Ministry of Commerce said $3 billion in U.S. goods could face new tariffs following the Trump administration's imposition of duties on imported steel and aluminum. Among the goods listed for retaliatory tariffs were several agricultural products, including pork, wine, nuts, fresh fruit and dried fruit.
Overall, U.S. agricultural exports to China represent about $20 billion annually for American farmers.
Food as weapon "It just seems like any time there are trade disputes, food is top of the list just because it's an emotional issue," said Larry Sailer, an Iowa farmer who produces pork, soybeans and corn. "I wish these countries wouldn't use that as a weapon, but that's basically what they are doing."
Still, Sailer said he "totally supports the administration we have right now," adding that trade issues with other countries such as China have been ignored for too long.
Earlier this week, an editorial in China's Global Times, the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper, made a case for targeting "subsidized U.S. soybeans," charging the commodity is "dumped on China." That said, the Chinese ministry's announcement Friday didn't identify soybeans.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
No problem. Let them eat flied lice and see how long that lasts.
In 2013 China bought “Smithfield” the worlds largest pork processor and all Smithfield owned companies. Well known brands such as Armour brand canned meat. Google
Smithfield owned companies and you will be surprised by the long list of familiar names that we all buy and support China.
I try not to buy any of them if I can remember.
How does that help producers in the U.S.?
This tells us that China is more an adversary than a trading partner. By contributing to our $375 billion deficit, America has exported jobs and through the purchase of U.S. Treasury notes, has made America’s economy vulnerable as a debtor nation. This gives China political influence over U.S. fiscal policy and fears of what would happen if it threatened to call in its loan.
What has happened is America has traded its financial security for lower consumer prices and lower interest rates.
Chuck Fina
Sho nit!
The world is ALREADY ganging up on us.
Along with a bunch of people who should be on our side. A lot of Americans sold out to China, big time.
Some are Republicans. Not to name names, but Americans need to build up America. NOT China.
I agree, bacon prices are horrible.
Mainly it would hurt those corp hog farmers in Colorado but they were bought out by the Japanese so it will hurt Japan more that us and cheapen up pork for the rest of us.
.......
the chinese bought the biggest us pork company about four years ago.
Can't the US throw in Pelosi & Mad Maxine for free?
Their stuff still sucks.
We buy their stuff because, for some odd reason, it’s cheaper to send raw materials to China, have them process-package-whatever it, and then ship it back to the US.
I’m thinking, if we really, really need to send out stuff someplace, only to have it come back here, ready for sale, why not have Central and South America start putting up factories. Give those folks jobs, hopefully slow down the invasion from the South and cut down on transportation costs.
Pork is one of the cheapest of meats at this point. But a five dollar bottle of wine would be great. You can buy half-way decent inexpensive wine like that in London but not here.
“California Fruits and Nuts Hardest Hit.”
Heh....good one.
Thanks for the realtime wine report.
Portugese wines used to be real cheap....and quite palatable.
Not to mention the Chinese purposefully adulterated some of their food products sent here.....I threw out any food product that was made in China.
I was in Rota for four years. Wine I drank there was rarely over 4 bucks a bottle. Reserva ... the good stuff.
Over 15 bucks here for the same stuff.
Made in Japan meant cheap junk when I was a kid. But then the quality got way better.
Same thing is happening with Chinese goods.
We better get back to Made in the USA very quickly.
China and Brazil have been buying up the meat processing plants. This week beef was at .50 cents a pound. At its height a couple years back it was up, trying to remember but think at around $2 a lb. That is when beef prices in the supermarket went sky high. The prices dropped at the sale barn but never dropped at the store. What do you bet it is China and Brazil pocketing all that.
It doesn't. It only makes products more expensive. For some reason a lot of people around these parts think that will make America great again.
THIS IS EVIL!!!!! Free Traitors™ aren't just wrong they are doing something I consider evil.
Fixed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.