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NEFB President says expanding trade opportunities is a must for U.S. agriculture

The president of Nebraska Farm Bureau says the agency continues to explore new trade opportunities in Europe.

Mark McHargue tells Brownfield the United Kingdom still imports about 40% of its food, and much of that comes from the European Union.

“But as with the Brexit, they are working on trying to figure out who new trade partners would be, and I think we have a great opportunity to go into the U.K,” he says. “I think a free trade agreement with them would be a great opportunity for the U.S.”

But he says there are some factors that prevent a potential trade agreement.

“When we start getting into the phytosanitary issues, the genetically modified conversations, they’re still pretty closely tied to the EU and the thought process there,” he says.

McHargue says for any potential new trade agreement, agriculture must be included.

“There are folks that think that we should do some sort of agreement and just leave ag out of it, because it’s kind of a contentious issue. If we’re going to do a free trade agreement, we need to make sure ag is involved,” he says.

He says there is a strong demand for Nebraska beef in the U.K., and he doesn’t expect that to change.

“Our grain fed beef is just a different taste, a different flavor. Really that’s one of the things that they appreciate about the Nebraska market,” he says.

McHargue was part of a trade delegation that visited the U.K. in November.

Brownfield interviewed McHargue at the 2024 Nebraska Farm Bureau annual meeting in Kearney, Nebraska.

AUDIO: Mark McHargue, Nebraska Farm Bureau

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