Advocacy
Legislation

Congressional champions of sugar reform from both sides of the political aisle have introduced bills over the past several years to fix a program that is costing U.S. jobs and driving up consumer prices.

The U.S. sugar program is the only commodity program not reformed in the last two Farm Bills — 2014 and 2018 — and Congress actually made the program worse in 2018 by raising the loan rates on sugar, effectively imposing more costs on U.S. food and beverage manufacturers and American consumers.

Congress has the opportunity to modernize the U.S. sugar program, especially as it works to reauthorize the farm bill in 2023.

Sugar Policy Modernization Act of 2017 (H.R. 4265)

To modernize the sugar program under the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, to provide for the repeal of the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and marketing allotments for sugar under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938,…

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Archives: Legislation
Letters

SUA Letter to Under Secretaries Bonnie-Taylor (7-14-23)

Dear Under Secretaries Bonnie and Taylor: Members of the Sweetener Users Association (SUA) appreciate the recent increase in the raw sugar tariff-rate quota (TRQ) of 125,000 metric tons, raw value (MTRV).  We commend USDA for recognizing that by all reasonable metrics, the domestic market remains inadequately supplied.  The TRQ increase…

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SUA Comments to USTR on Definition of Specialty Sugar (7-7-23)

These comments are submitted on behalf of the Sweetener Users Association (SUA), whose members use sugar and other nutritive sweeteners in manufacturing foods and beverages. Companies in the industries represented by SUA account for some 600,000 jobs in the United States.  SUA appreciates the opportunity to provide our views on…

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Archives: Letters
Testimony

Testimony by Bill O’Conner, Senior Agriculture Policy Advisor, Sweetener Users Association to the USTR Hearing on Negotiating Objectives Regarding Modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico

The Sweeteners Users Association (SUA) commends the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) for soliciting comments and testimony from the various sectors of the economy on the negotiating objectives for modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico. We welcome the opportunity to testify today…

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Archives: Testimony