While most people are aware of battles over Chinese toys and electronics, trade disputes enter into all sectors of the American economy, including the very food we eat.
In the last few years, the U.S. has seen a sharp increase in imports of amino acids from China. Farmers use amino acids to supplement feed for livestock. While the resulting prices drops have allowed American farmers some money, they could also be left dangerously vulnerable should the Chinese government decide to wield amino acid exports as a strategic weapon, as it has done with other critical exports. Our government should take steps to ensure this doesn’t happen.
The influx in imports has buffeted domestic producers of amino acids. My colleague Russell Kashian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, and I studied the U.S. amino acid market in light of the import surge and found that it poses a threat to the entire domestic industry, which produced over $3 billion of output last year and supports nearly 30,000 jobs. Nearly all of these American jobs would be at jeopardy if present trends continue.
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