Senators push to expand access for New York apples and pears
WASHINGTON DC – As the Obama Administration prepares for trade talks set to begin next week with European authorities, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are pushing the administration to prioritize reducing trade barriers that New York’s apple and pear growers face in European markets.
U.S. and European trade officials completed the first round of talks in July on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to boost trading between U.S. and European markets. The next round of talks is set to begin on November 11 in Brussels, Belgium, and the third round is scheduled for December 16-20 in Washington, D.C.
“As the second largest apple producer and fourth largest pear producer in the US, New York’s growers stand at the ready to send bushels of fruit to the European market,” said Senator Schumer. “With two more rounds of negotiations this year, there is plenty of time to reach an agreement that puts our economy first and lands New York pears, apples and other fruit on plates from Paris to Prague.”
“New York farms grow the world’s finest apples, pears and other fruits that run into too many obstacles to reach new markets,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and the President’s Export Council. “For our state’s economy to grow, we need our farms to thrive, and we need strong trade deals that can give New York’s growers the best possible chance to succeed.”
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