Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

Annual country quotas are currently in effect as follows:

[blocks in formation]

800,000 bushels.
4,000,000 pounds.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Wheat, wheat flour, semolina, crushed or cracked wheat or similar wheat products, classified as "unfit for human consumption” are not subject to import quota controls. Likewise, samples of wheat or specified wheat products in lots of 10 pounds or less and certified or registered seed wheat in lots of 100 bushels or less are not subject to import quota controls. Wheat or specified wheat products in lots of 10 pounds or more for experimental purposes and certified or registered seed wheat in lots of more than 100 bushels for seeding and crop improvement purposes may be imported ex-quota if the importer requests such import authority from the Secretary of Agriculture and if written approval is granted by the Secretary. Such requests should be addressed to the Import Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

III. SPECIFIED DAIRY PRODUCTS

Import controls under section 22 became effective July 1, 1953, for the dairy products numbered 1 through 10, as listed below. The annual quota period for these commodities is from July 1 through June 30. The Import Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., issues import licenses to individual importers. The quotas are apportioned generally on the basis of the proportionate share of total imports imported by each individual importer from supplying countries during a representative base period when no restrictions were in effect.

Quota controls on items 11 (a) and (b) became effective April 15 and August 7, 1957, respectively. The quota year for item 11(a) is the calendar year and the quota is administered by the Bureau of Customs, U.S. Treasury Department, Washington, D.C., on a first-come, first-served basis. Butterfat as defined in 11(b) may not be imported. Importations not in excess of 100 pounds in the aggregate of the listed dairy commodities may be authorized ex-quota for display and sampling at trade fairs and for research, provided application is made to and written approval is granted by the Secretary of Agriculture. Such applications should be filed with the Import Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.

The following table shows a comparison of current quotas with importations during the representative periods. The representative periods are as indicated in parenthesis. Effective July 1, 1960, the President's proclamation increased the annual quota for Edam and Gouda cheese from 4,600,200 to 9,200,400 pounds and on Italian-type cheese from 9,200,100 to 11,500,100 pounds.

[blocks in formation]

(a) Butter substitutes, including butteroil containing 1,800,000..----
45 percent or more butterfat.

(b) All articles containing 45 percent or more of butter-
fat, except those articles already subject to
quotas, cheese, evaporated and condensed milk,
and products imported in retail packages.

* 1,200,000

Not available...

0

1 Increased from 4,167,000 by Presidential Proclamation 3460, Mar. 30, 1962. Quota for calendar year 1957 only, set at 1,800,000 pounds.

IV. PEANUTS

Nonlicensed import controls were instituted July 1, 1953. The quota on peanuts is the same as that initially imposed. The ad valorem fee of 25 percent on imports of peanut oil in excess of 80 million pounds was terminated on April 5, 1961.

Annual global quotas are in effect as follows:

[blocks in formation]

Whenever the Secretary of Agriculture has reason to believe that any article or articles are being or are practically certain to be imported into the United States under such conditions and in such quantities as to render or tend to render ineffective or materially interfere with any program or operation under

taken under this title or the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, or section 32, Public Law No. 320, 74th Congress, approved August 24, 1935, as amended, or any loan, purchase, or other program or operation undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, or any agency operating under its direction, with respect to any agricultural commodity or product thereof, or to reduce substantially the amount of any product processed in the United States from any agricultural commodity or product thereof, with respect to which any such program or operation is being undertaken, he shall so advise the President and if the President agrees that there is reason for such belief, the President shall cause an immediate investigation to be made by the U.S. Tariff Commission, which shall give precedence to investigations under this section to determine such facts.

Such investigation shall be made after due notice and opportunity for hearing to interested parties, shall be conducted subject to such regulations as the President shall specify.

I would like to point out several things here. I mentioned that if beef came into this country to the point of slowing down the feeding out of cattle, which is a customary practice, it could endanger your feed grain, corn, and other grain programs.

Furthermore, this section says that investigative proceedings should be started if imports force the use of section 32. Section 32 provides funds which you use regularly to buy surplus turkeys, surplus beef, surplus pork, and other meats. Certainly an undue influction of foreign meats could easily drive you to use of section 32.

I mentioned to you the situation in Iowa. I would hope when the school lunch people are before us, they will have full information on this.

It came to me orally, from a colleague from Iowa in the Congress. Continuing now, and I quote, subsection (b) of section 22 reads as follows:

If, on the basis of such investigation and report to him of findings and recommendations made in connection therewith, the President finds the existence of such facts, he shall by proclamation impose such fees not in excess of 50 per centum ad valorem, or such quantitative limitation on any article or articles which may be entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption as he finds, and declares shown by such investigation to be necessary in order that the entry of such article or articles, will not render or tend to render ineffective or materially interfere with any program or operations refered to in section A of this *

Again, in a nutshell, what can the President do-and incidentally, it must be initiated by you? He can put a 50-percent tax on imports or he can set a quantitative limitation. It says if these findings are made by the President, he "shall"-it doesn't say "may."

Now, in view of these facts that, I think the Department would certainly have the responsibility of reviewing the overall situation and determining whether or not this section applies.

Our attention is called to the fact that yesterday it was the view of yourself, as spokesman for the Department, that section 22 could be applied only to price-supported commodities. But I call attention again to the fact that the language is much broader than that.

It says that if these articles are coming in in such quantities as to render or tend to render or materially interfere with any program or operation undertaken under this title, or section 32, some action should be taken. Cetainly, section 32 is to buy up surpluses and that is the point I made yesterday; when you say only 5 percent of the commodities are surplus we may make the situation fit the illustration of eight units which must be sold with only seven buyers.

This is a serious situation, and I say again, with all due deference to the cotton bill, either the one that I understand the Senate has voted out, or the Cooley bill, If we refuse flatly to use section 22 in proper cases, there isn't any agricultural program that can work effectively.

Where you ought to use it, how soon and at what level is always a question. And may I say again, Mr. Secretary, this act says it shall be initiated by you. After that, it becomes a matter for determination by the Tariff Commission. But I do think the facts are such as to warrant a full study by you as to what the possible solution is. We hope we can count on you doing that.

Again, what we are requesting here is a thorough study and a determination. Of course, we can't run your shop for you. We might try sometimes, but that is your business.

EFFECT OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES ON AMERICAN SURPLUSES

Now I also would like to know if we are furnishing from the Department, or whether the State Department or the foreign aid people, with your consent and advice in the Department, are furnishing any technicians to any foreign countries for the purpose of assisting in the production of any commodity of which we have a surplus in this country?

Can that be made available to us?

Secretary FREEMAN. Yes. I would answer that by saying that we are seeking to cooperate with other segments in the Government, to carry forward the policy of the United States-of which one is economic assistance and in doing so, to properly safeguard the interests of American agriculture. To my best knowledge, we are not assisting foreign countries in the production of commodities that we have in surplus, so that those same commodities will be competitive and create problems for American agriculture.

I would want to the record to show that it is my personal conviction, as I review the export figures of our own agricultural commodities, that our aid efforts have resulted in significant increases in our exports and on balance they can properly be given credit for having contributed to the very significant growth in our agricultural exports. This is particularly true in the area of the food-for-peace program, with the use of foreign currencies received from the sale of agricultural commodities for various market development programs, and the launching of what I believe has been a very successful trade promotion effort in a great number of different commodities-wheat and others.

Japan has a lot of your wheat out there now, Congressman Horan, that they didn't have before. And as the economy is strengthened in these various countries, they find themselves in a food shortage position and their commercial needs grow. As such, this is an important part of our market-creating program. There are some very interesting examples of this that I used this week testifying before the House Agriculture Committee on Public Law 480 that might be incorporated in this record, and I think would be of great interest to this subcommittee.

Mr. WHITTEN. We would be glad to have it.

[merged small][graphic][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed]
« PreviousContinue »