Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers

AGENCY:

Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Notice.

The Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has denied petitions (No.'s 2011006-2011011, 2011028) for trade adjustment assistance for wool filed under the fiscal year (FY) 2011 program by wool producers from Montana and the Montana Wool Growers Association. The petitions were accepted for review by USDA on July 26, 2010.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

To qualify under the program, Subtitle C of Title I of the Trade Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-210) states that petitions must demonstrate, using data for the most recent, full marketing year or full official marketing season, a greater than 15-percent decline in at least one of the following factors: national average price, quantity of production, value of production, or cash receipts.

According to the statute, it is also necessary for the petitions to demonstrate that an increase in imports of like or directly competitive articles, during the same marketing period, contributed importantly to the decrease in one of the above factors for the agricultural commodity.

All petitions were analyzed by USDA's Economic Research Service and reviewed by the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Farmers Program Review Committee, comprised of representatives from USDA's Office of the Chief Economist, Farm Service Agency, Agricultural Marketing Service, and FAS. After a review, the Administrator determined that the petitions demonstrated the `greater than 15-percent decline' criterion, because they showed a 15.9-percent decline in the value of wool production for 2009, when compared to the previous 3-year period. However, the import data provided for the same time periods showed a 37.2-percent decrease, instead of the required increase, under the program.

Because the petitions were unable to meet the `increase in imports' criterion, the Administrator was not able to certify them, making wool producers in Montana ineligible for trade adjustment assistance in FY 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers Program Staff, Office of Trade Programs, FAS, USDA; or by phone at (202) 720-0638, or (202) 690-0633; or by e-mail at: tradeadjustment@fas.usda.gov; or visit the TAA for Farmers' Web site at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/taa.