An association of apple farmers has purchased ads on cable networks to urge President Donald Trump to end the looming the trade war with China.
“President Trump, the ag community supported you,” the narrator in the 30-second spot, produced by Farmers for Free Trade and the U.S. Apple Association says. “End the trade war and support free trade.”
After Trump announced tariffs on Chinese products, the Asian country responded Friday with an announcement of counter tariffs on 500 U.S. products, including apples.
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“The U.S. apple industry does depend on exports,” Mark Boyer, an apple farmer, said in the 30 second spot. “Without certainty in foreign markets, why would you invest in equipment, why would you invest in anything? The stakes are high. People will lose their jobs.” (RELATED: Beijing Is Not Backing Down As Trump’s Latest Moves Reheat US-China Trade Spat)
“This situation is going from bad to worse,” Farmers for Free Trade Executive Director Brian Kuehl said in a statement. “What this ad helps show is that these tariffs are having an impact on American farms right now. It shows that this isn’t a theoretical threat.”
The tiff with China follows an announcement from Mexico that it would place a 20 percent tariff on apples in retaliation for the U.S.’s duties on aluminum and steel imports.
“Let’s call it what is – this is a trade war that is impacting the livelihoods of American farmers, farmers we work with are paying higher prices for their equipment because of the steel tariffs, have had contracts cancelled, and have been hurt by falling commodity prices,” Kuehl said.
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