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Callahan highlights preferential market access in recent U.S. trade agreements

A closer look at the latest U.S. trade agreements.

Julie Callahan, the Trump administration’s chief ag negotiator with the office of the United States Trade Representative says there have been 8 signed deals over the last year, and each one includes preferential market access for a variety of ag goods. “Countries are committing are removing unfair trade practices and the non tariff barriers like the regulatory barriers that sometimes prevent U.S. agriculture from getting into their markets in the first place.”

She says those agreements include Malaysia, Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Argentina, Bangladesh, Taiwan and Indonesia. Callahan says the U.S. is finalizing details with Ecuador, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, North Macedonia, Switzerland, Lichtenstein,, Thailand, the UK and Vietnam.

Speaking with reporters at the 2026 National Pork Industry Forum, she told Brownfield the deals are reciprocal, fair and balanced and are expected to reverse the trade deficit. She says the agreement with Taiwan is a good example. “We are removing the non-science based regulatory restrictions that have  been imposed on U.S. pork and the some of the testing and surveillance of activity that hasn’t been risk based.”

 Callahan says her team continues to work with China’s delegation to reach an agreement.