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At the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), we are committed to expanding opportunities for our members. Gina Tumbarello, Ivy Torres and I manage global affairs for AFIA, overseeing animal food import and export challenges, navigating policies that impact opportunities to trade and implementing market development programs. Our goal is simple: to ensure our members’ ability to thrive, expand and grow by successfully entering new markets abroad, while also maintaining access to the current markets. 

Over the last few years, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has significantly expanded its support for members in international areas. Our efforts have now broadened to include developing stronger relationships with foreign and international feed associations as well as with foreign governments. In addition, we are providing education to international buyers, end-users, importers and regulators about the quality and diversity of U.S. animal feed, thereby enhancing market access for our industry. 

“If we don’t find overseas markets for our products, many farmers, many producers, go out of business.”

That was the message Daniel Whitley, administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, told the American Feed Industry Association’s Board leadership at a recent meeting. Our global policy team would strongly agree - the future of American agriculture, and the U.S. animal food industry, will be contingent on demand from beyond U.S. borders.

“Team Trade” (aka Gina Tumbarello and myself) do several different jobs at once for American Feed Industry Association members. Most important is answering members’ questions and helping solve their day-to-day trade snags. But another important aspect of our work is opening market access to help interested AFIA members gain more market share in a country of interest by providing a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges that exist in that market.

On Tuesday, the American Feed Industry Association’s Louise Calderwood participated in a listening session at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine on the regulation of animal foods with certain claims. This issue is one the AFIA has been following for quite some time (see related blog posts here and here), given its hindrance to getting products to the marketplace that would help the U.S. get one step closer to meeting its food security and climate goals.

Recently, the American Feed Industry Association applied for and was awarded funding through the Foreign Agricultural Service’s Emerging Markets Program (EMP) to do an animal feed market assessment in Brazil, which could foster identification of opportunities for the U.S. feed industry in the Brazilian marketplace. This assessment will provide a comprehensive overview and analysis of the Brazilian market for U.S. exports of feed additives and feed ingredients, excluding raw agricultural commodities (e.g., corn, soybeans, sorghum, etc.).

Remember speed dating? Those magical minutes when you sat across from a stranger and tried to ascertain if there was a spark of emotion or maybe if it was love at first sight? Well, that is exactly what the U.S. Agriculture Export Development Council (USAEDC) Annual Attaché Seminar feels like! Just kidding, but the seminar is often compared to speed dating.

There is a host of internationally focused work the American Feed Industry Association does on behalf of the U.S. animal food industry, but do you know what really drives us? We thrive on overcoming barriers and finding solutions to market access constraints. Sharing your story with anyone who will (and sometimes won’t) hear is what we do!