Letter to the Hon Ted McKinney, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs - To Address Tariff Impacts on Lobsters, Maine Delegation Urges Government Promotional Support

Letter

Dear Under Secretary McKinney:

We write to ask that as the Department of Agriculture finalizes Agricultural Trade Promotion ("ATP") Program awards under its aid package for producers affected by trade disruption, you allocate significant ATP funding for the Maine lobster industry. Retaliatory tariffs have caused a very significant export market for Maine lobster -- China -- to all but disappear. ATP funding will help to develop new export markets for Maine lobster, decreasing the blow of Chinese tariffs on an iconic American industry.

We refer you to our letter to the President of June 7, 2019 (enclosed), in which we requested that he provide resources and aid to assist with the development of new export markets for Maine lobster. In addition to annual Market Access Program funding, ATP funding is necessary to help replace the export market for lobster that our state has lost as a result of the tariff situation. Thank you for your consideration of our request.