WASHINGTON, D.C. – On January 14, 2021, the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Trade Representative announced the appointment of new members to their agricultural trade advisory committees. CropLife America (CLA) is pleased to congratulate Molly O’Connor, director of federal government relations at CLA, for her appointment to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables.

“We congratulate Molly on her appointment and look forward to the knowledge and perspective she will bring to the committee,” said Chris Novak, president and CEO of CLA. “Pesticides and other technologies are integral to providing a safe and dependable global food system. This system depends on effective and consistent trade policies to provide food worldwide and support a healthy population.”

The advisory committees present an opportunity for cooperation and collaboration with other key stakeholders in the agriculture community, enabling them to provide guidance and insight into the creation of new trade agreements and operation of existing agreements. The importance of global standards for trade cannot be overstated, and as U.S. agricultural exports continue to grow steadily, farmers, ranchers and producers worldwide increasingly depend on a stable trade market based upon science-driven, risk-based regulatory decisions. Providing trade stability maintains a safe food system, leading to an improvement in overall global population health, supplying healthy food for all.   

“I am excited and honored to be part of this committee,” said O’Connor. “I look forward to engaging with this diverse group of organizations, and providing industry perspective on trade issues impacting growers and the pesticide producers.”   

Open and free trade policies are critical to the continued health, safety and affordability of the U.S. food system, not to mention the economic health of the U.S.