The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched an investigation into the global competitiveness of Brazilian agricultural exports and its impact on U.S. agricultural exporters in third country markets.

The investigation, Brazil: Competitive Factors in Brazil Affecting U.S. and Brazilian Agricultural Sales in Selected Third Country Markets, was requested by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance.

In its letter requesting the investigation, received on April 26, 2011, the Committee stated: "Brazil's global exports of agricultural products have grown substantially over the last decade, largely in beef, pork, poultry, soybeans, and corn all products exported in significant quantities by the United States. This growth has altered the competitive landscape in global agricultural markets and resulted in declining market shares for U.S. agricultural exporters in certain countries and products."

As requested, the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, will cover in its report the period 2006-2010 and will focus on the global meat, grains, and oilseeds markets. To the extent possible, the USITC will provide:

an overview of agricultural markets in Brazil, including recent trends in production, consumption, and trade;
an overview of U.S. and Brazilian participation in global export markets for meat, grain, and oilseed products, particularly in the European Union, Russia, China, and Japan, and markets with which Brazil has negotiated trade agreements;
a description of the competitive factors affecting the agricultural sector in Brazil, in such areas as costs of production, transportation and marketing infrastructure, technology, exchange rates, domestic support, and government programs related to agricultural markets;
a description of the growth of Brazilian multinational agribusiness firms and their effects on global food supply chains;
a description of the principal trade measures affecting U.S. and Brazilian exports of meat, grain, and oilseed products in major third-country export markets, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade; and
a quantitative analysis of the economic effects of preferential tariffs negotiated under Brazil's free trade agreements on U.S. and Brazilian exports of meat, grain, and oilseed products, as well as the economic effects of selected non-tariff measures on U.S. and Brazilian exports of meat, grain, and oilseed products in major third-country export markets.
The USITC expects to submit its report to the Committee by March 26, 2012.

The USITC will hold a public hearing in connection with the investigation at 9:30 a.m. on July 20, 2011. Requests to appear at the hearing should be filed no later than 5:15 p.m. on June 24, 2011, with the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. For further information, call 202-205-2000.

The USITC also welcomes written submissions for the record. Written submissions (one original and 14 copies) should be addressed to the Secretary of the Commission at the above address and should be submitted at the earliest practical date, but no later than 5:15 p.m. on October 6, 2011. All written submissions, except for confidential business information, will be available for public inspection.

Further information on the scope of the investigation and appropriate submissions is available in the USITC's notice of investigation, dated May 18, 2011, which can be obtained from the USITC Internet site (www.usitc.gov) or by contacting the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000.

USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subject investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigations reports are subsequently released to the public, unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.