Advocacy

International Trade

Proactive U.S. Trade Agenda

NOPA supports a proactive U.S. trade agenda focused on expanding market access by eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers and fostering the use of science-based health/safety rules to create additional market opportunities for U.S. oilseed and meat products.

Market-based International Trading

NOPA favors a market-based international trading environment that encourages the efficient production of an abundant, safe, and high-quality supply of oilseeds and oilseed products for domestic and world consumers of food, feed ingredients, and renewable fuels. In this regard, NOPA endeavors to combat subsidies and other unfair competitive advantages given to foreign producers of oilseed products by foreign governments. Additionally, NOPA takes action to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in oilseeds and oilseed products, whenever and wherever such barriers arise.

Constructive International Trade Policies

NOPA pursues the objectives of opening markets, maintaining access, and improving the competitive  position for U.S. soybean, canola, flaxseed, safflower seed and sunflower seed products throughout the world. Our advocacy includes providing leadership through education, information, and market-based solutions to policymakers and trade negotiators, growers, customers, suppliers, and global oilseed organizations. For example, NOPA has worked with the U.S. Government in negotiating the reduction of international trade barriers through the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as through numerous bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs).

Environmental, Employee Safety/Health and Food Safety Regulatory

Impediments to Competitiveness

NOPA’s members face increasingly burdensome federal and state regulatory policies that produce unnecessarily costly rules, duplicative mandates, impediments to innovation, and barriers to their domestic and international competitiveness. Left unchecked, these policies hold profoundly negative global trade implications for the industry, which is also facing more and more aggressive competition from processors abroad.

“Tough but Cost-Effective” Regulations

NOPA supports federal and state regulatory policies that are “tough but cost-effective” and works proactively to achieve common-sense regulatory reforms that protect the environment and ensure public health and safety, while also promoting economic growth and job creation. NOPA’s goal is to ensure that such federal policies are feasible, workable, and do not put U.S. processors at a competitive disadvantage with processors elsewhere in the world.

Balanced Domestic Policies

NOPA works to ensure that the U.S. oilseed industry has fair and balanced policies at home by advocating our members’ interests with federal policymakers in the areas of environmental and resource management, environmental regulations, employee safety and health regulations, food safety regulations, and technology advancement. The federal policymaking agencies with whom NOPA regularly deals include the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Transportation and Infrastructure

Need for U.S. Infrastructure Improvements

NOPA supports federal policies that protect and improve all modes of U.S. commodity transportation (trucks, railroads, barges, ocean vessels) and infrastructure critical to the oilseed processing industry, thereby protecting and improving our industry’s competitiveness both domestically and in foreign markets.

Maintaining U.S. Competitive Advantages

Much of America’s infrastructure is old, inefficient and badly in need of modernization. Major new investment in infrastructure is needed: specifically, road, rail, inland water ways, and ports must be strengthened and modernized so we can maintain our competitive advantage over foreign competition. NOPA members’ continuous plant operations depend upon timely and adequate transportation both inbound and outbound. Interruptions in supply or shortages in transportation equipment can force processing facilities to shut down. This can be extremely costly and lost production cannot be recovered.

Domestic Farm and Risk Management Programs

Foster Opportunities for Growth

NOPA supports federal farm policies that minimize market distortions, comply with international trade obligations, and allow U.S. agriculture to retain its natural competitiveness and continue to grow and prosper. NOPA believes that adherence to these basic, market‐oriented, principles will promote U.S. agricultural competitiveness and foster opportunities for growth for U.S. oilseeds and oilseed products as well as livestock and poultry products in domestic and export markets.

Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)-Biodiesel

NOPA supports the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) which drives demand for biodiesel and encourages investment in value-added agricultural opportunities. As the primary feedstock for biodiesel, soybean oil plays a critical role in the success of the program. Biodiesel is the largest domestically produced and commercially available fuel to meet the EPA’s definition of an advanced biofuel under the RFS, and provides one of the best carbon-reduction strategies for diesel engines available with today’s vehicle technologies. Biodiesel is a critical market outlet for soybean oil and collectively benefits soybean farmers, processors, rural communities, and the livestock industry while also creating jobs, diversifying our fuel supply, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Crop Biotechnology

Balanced Biotechnology Policies

NOPA believes that the commercial seed products currently on the market have allowed growers to increase crop yield, decrease crop inputs and increase the use of conservation tillage. These technological advances have been largely successful for growers, processors, and exporters. NOPA supports the use of balanced biotechnology policies to ensure the success of trade and processing of grains and oilseeds and their derivative products. Such balanced biotechnology policies are critical for trading and processing of grains and oilseeds and their derivative products. As world population increases and arable land becomes a more limited resource, the responsible use of biotechnology can play an important role in production agriculture.