National Farmers Union (NFU) joined a coalition of seven agricultural organizations in sending comments to U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration Ronald Lorentzen asking that USDOC not implement a proposed rule change which would make it more difficult for farmers and ranchers to prove they have been harmed by another country’s intentional dumping of livestock products in U.S. markets.
 “American farmers and ranchers must be able to obtain relief from international price discrimination or prices that are below the full cost of production,” the comments said. “Agricultural interests, just like manufacturers and their workers, need effective trade remedies to be available to address the challenges they face. What USDOC has proposed will reduce drastically the effectiveness of the U.S. antidumping law.”
 NFU President Roger Johnson called on USDOC to withdraw the proposed rule so U.S. producers are better able to identify countries that dump their products in U.S. markets and seek remedies through the World Trade Organization.
 “It is critical that U.S. farmers and ranchers are able to protect themselves against illegal dumping by other countries,” said Johnson. “Everyone has a right to compete on a fair and open market. The proposed rule by USDOC would make the market less transparent and allow other countries to unfairly tilt the playing field against U.S. farmers and ranchers. Therefore the rule should be withdrawn to ensure a level playing field for those involved in U.S. agriculture.”
 NFU policy supports the ability of the U.S. to impose trade remedies against nations using currency manipulation to gain an unfair trade advantage. The policy also supports anti-dumping petitions on behalf of all U.S. producers.