Today, the citizen board of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) heard about the adverse impacts of tariffs and trade uncertainty from six Wisconsin agricultural professionals:
● Charles Wachsmuth, Vice President, Chippewa Valley Bean Co., Inc.
● Tom Bressner, Executive Director, Wisconsin Agri-Business Association
● Patty Edelburg, Vice President, National Farmers Union
● Doug Rebout, President, Wisconsin Corn Growers Association
● Will Hsu, President, Hsu’s Ginseng Enterprises, Inc.
● Nick Hemauer, Vice President, Global Retail Sales, GENEX
“I’m grateful to these agricultural partners for sharing their experiences with our DATCP Board,” said DATCP Secretary-designee Brad Pfaff. “When retaliatory tariffs are put in place, our agribusinesses suffer. Farmers want trade, not aid. I appreciate that these folks were so willing to share with our board the ways international trade policy directly affects Wisconsin’s agriculture community.”
The DATCP Board also voted to approve a final draft of ATCP 10 and 12, a package of rules on animal movement. Pfaff joined the Board in commending DATCP staff on their commitment to public involvement in drafting this rule. This rule now moves onto the Governor and the Legislature for final approval.
Also today, the DATCP Board voted unanimously to move a draft of ATCP 51, the Department’s livestock siting rule, forward for public comment. If adopted by local municipalities, this rule provides uniform guidance on regulating livestock operations in their communities. The rule went into effect in 2006 and has not been updated since.
“This vote is a positive step forward in the process to update Wisconsin’s livestock siting regulations,” stated Secretary Pfaff. “Our Department staff and many industry partners have been working on this rule for years, in both the current and previous administrations. Thanks to the action by our Board today, the people of Wisconsin will finally have an opportunity to weigh in on this rule, ensuring that ATCP 51 balances the interests of our agricultural, environmental, and rural communities.”
The rule now moves to four public hearings, after which it returns to the Board before being sent to the Governor and the Legislature for final approval.
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