US meat and poultry organisations secure USDA funding
Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary at the USDA, revealed the allocated funding, awarded by the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and made available through the 2014 Farm Bill, was earmarked for more than 60 US agricultural organisations in order to help expand commercial export markets for American products.
The USMEF was awarded $14,073,511 through the MAP and $1,081,750 through the FMD program. The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council has been allocated $4,952,183 as part of the MAP, and $1,014,940 under the FMD.
Meanwhile, The American Sheep Industry Association was awarded $421,340 through the MAP.
Vilsack said: "Now that Congress has passed the Farm Bill, the USDA is moving quickly to implement our trade promotion programs to help open and expand opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and small businesses and build on the past five years of record agricultural exports.
"These programs are an important investment in rural America. Every dollar we invest in trade promotion provides $35 in economic benefits."
According to USMEF, it matches these USDA dollars with funds from the US beef, pork and lamb industries, as well as support from the US corn and soybean industries, to maintain and expand markets for US red meat products.
The MAP is focused on overseas marketing and promotional activities to held build commercial export markets for US agricultural products and commodities, while the FMD Program focuses on trade servicing and trade capacity building by helping to create, expand and maintain long-term export markets for US agricultural products.
The USDA will begin accepting applications for 2015 export development program funding on 17 April 2014.
