Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agricultural Health Agriculture Food and nutrition security Food safety Trade

IICA Hosts Trade Meeting with USTR Agricultural Negotiators and Members of Diplomatic Corps

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The United States’ Chief Agricultural Trade Negotiator Ambassador Gregg Doud and his top agriculture trade team discuss key trade issues with agricultural attaches and representatives of International Organizations during IICA’s high-level trade meeting hosted in Washington DC

The United States’ Chief Agricultural Trade Negotiator Ambassador Gregg Doud and his top agriculture trade team discuss key trade issues with agricultural attaches and representatives of International Organizations during IICA’s high-level trade meeting hosted in Washington DC
Ambassador Doud noted that the United States considers the adoption of new technologies to be its primary competitive advantage in agricultural production, and encouraged his country’s trade partners to move in the same direction.

Washington D.C., 5 December 2019 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) convened over 40 representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations in a rare candid exchange with USTR’s top agricultural trade negotiator Ambassador Gregg Doud and his two senior official agricultural trade experts (Julia Doherty and Julie Callahan).

The USTR Officials briefed IICA’s guests on critical agricultural trade issues ranging from the International Standards of Codex Alimentarius to the importance of the Congressional ratification of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the US state of play of bilateral and multilateral negotiations, and touched on the globally sensitive China-US agriculture negotiations and their escalating tariff war.

Ambassador Doud noted that the United States considers the adoption of new technologies to be its primary competitive advantage in agricultural production, and encouraged his country’s trade partners to move in the same direction.

USTR senior officials Julie Callahan and Julia Doherty also briefed U.S. trade priorities within the framework of Codex Alimentarius and the SPS Committee of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“IICA was very honored and proud to host USTR’s Chief Agricultural Negotiator and his team at this briefing with our agricultural colleagues from the Washington DC’s Embassies,” stated IICA Director General Manuel Otero.

“IICA has held this series of global agricultural roundtables all year with the goal of reaching a better understanding of critical issues affecting our IICA Member States’ agricultural sector” added Horrys Friaca, IICA International Specialist in Animal Health and Plant Safety.

“This exercise has led us to conclude we have more in common than not and of the core importance of science-based decision making in agricultural policies. A key example of this commonality is the fact that during IICA’s Inter-American Board of Agricultural Ministers Meeting this year, our Members unanimously adopted a Resolution on the importance of sound science when setting Maximum Residue Limits”, said Friaca.

IICA’s first roundtable discussion convened in December 2018 focused on international requirements for importing products of animal origin. In July of this year, IICA’s roundtable delved into antimicrobial resistance and its impact on trade.

The USTR Officials briefed IICA’s guests on critical agricultural trade issues ranging from the International Standards of Codex Alimentarius to the importance of the Congressional ratification of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA

As the recognized agricultural agency in the Hemisphere, IICA has long been a leading nexus for agricultural trade, production, and policy. Along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the USTR, IICA brought together experts from 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries in mid-October to discuss a joint strategy for ensuring that SPS measures applied in international food trade are based on sound science. 

About IICA

IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.

More information:
Horrys Friaca, IICA Delegation in the United States. 
horrys.friaca@iica.int

Share

Related news​

Asunción, Paraguay

September 16, 2025

Nidia González, who champions the empowerment of women farmers in Paraguay and strives to raise living standards in her community, has now been recognized as an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas 

Nidia is President of the Comité de Santo Domingo, a group that seeks to improve the income and standard of living of the entire community.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Madrid, España

September 16, 2025

The IICA Director General, during a working visit to Spain, met with the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas; visited the Spanish Congress and was honored by Universidad de Córdoba

In his meeting with Planas, Otero reflected on the close collaboration with Spain and characterized the Institute’s technical cooperation as systemic, efficient and collaborative, providing benefits to more than ten million farmers and actively undertaking 358 projects to enhance food security and rural development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

September 10, 2025

Erick Geovany Ac Tot, a cocoa entrepreneur who promotes high-quality cocoa and the preservation of ancestral trees in Guatemala, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality 

Erick Geovany Ac Tot—a prominent Guatemalan cocoa entrepreneur who has been assisting small farmer organizations, promoting high-quality cocoa production and preserving heirloom trees for years, in addition to being a cocoa taster—has been named a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins