Congressional Letter to Commerce Questions Tariffs on Popular Herbicide

Eighteen members of Congress sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo yesterday saying they are concerned that tariffs on imports of a widely used herbicide - called 2,4-D - could compromise reliable, affordable access to agricultural inputs. The effort was led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.).

"Agricultural producers already face record high input costs while competing in a volatile market and prices for all crops are forecasted to decline over the next several years," the representatives said. "Without careful consideration of the facts during these preliminary investigations, new tariffs will result in difficulties for producers who rely on this critical input. This will only exacerbate their economic challenges."

The National Corn Growers Association supported the congressional effort.

"Duties on 2,4-D imports would intensify what is already a difficult period for many growers as key input costs continue to increase," said Minnesota farmer and NCGA President Harold Wolle. "The tariffs could make these products hard to acquire and more expensive for farmers. We applaud these members of Congress for pushing this issue with Commerce and we hope the administration will listen."

In May, The U.S. International Trade Commission agreed to advance a petition by Corteva Agribusiness to place anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports of the herbicide 2,4-D shipped from two Asian countries.

Growers have said America's farmers cannot rely upon a sole domestic supplier of 2,4-D to meet nearly all the market's needs, a sentiment echoed in today's letter.

"Given that there is only one domestic source of 2,4-D, with limited capacity to meet domestic demand, American agricultural producers rely on imports to supplement their management plans," the letter said. "Changes in the duties owed on these products could have far-reaching impacts on producers as they plan their expenses for the crop year."

The Department of Commerce is slated to release preliminary duties by September 10^th, though that deadline could be extended. The final rate will not be published until next year.