Risch, Crapo Join Call for Investigation into Unfair Sugar Trade Practices

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo (both R-Idaho) signed a bipartisan, bicameral letter in support of efforts by U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer to initiate a Section 301 investigation into unfair and discriminatory trade practices by foreign sugar-producing countries. The letter calls on USTR to take appropriate action to protect American sugarbeet and sugarcane farmers, processors, refiners and factory workers from being undercut by discriminatory foreign trade practices. “The sugar farming families and workers across our States support more than 151,000 jobs in more than two dozen states while generating more than $23 billion in economic activity each year.  We are gravely concerned about the surge in unfairly traded foreign sugar imports, which, along with higher input costs, are plunging the domestic industry into crisis and presenting an imminent threat to the industry’s long-term viability,” the letter reads in part. “U.S. sugar policy is a necessary response to a global playing field where foreign countries routinely sell sugar at well below the world cost of production… In the past 10 years, 14 percent of our nation’s beet sugar processing facilities and 12 percent of our domestic cane sugar mills and refineries have closed, including the complete loss of sugarbeet farming in California (2025) and sugarcane farming in Hawaii (2016) and Texas (2024).  Absent action to protect the domestic sugar industry from discriminatory foreign trade practices, these continued revenue losses will only mount, threatening the future existence of domestic U.S. sugar production.  We strongly urge you to investigate these unfair trading practices that disadvantage our domestic sugar industry and take decisive action as appropriate,” the letter concludes. The full text of the letter can be found here . Risch and Crapo were joined by U.S. Representatives Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher (both R-Idaho), as well as 108 Members of Congress, in sending the letter. The letter was led by U.S. Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and U.S. Representatives Julie Fedorchak (R-N.D.) and Troy Carter (D-La.). The following organizations endorsed the letter: Amalgamated Sugar Company, American Crystal Sugar Company, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Sugar Alliance, American Sugar Cane League, American Sugar Refining, Inc., American Sugarbeet Growers Association, Big Horn Basin Beet Growers Association, Big Horn County Sugar Beet Growers Association, Colorado Sugarbeet Growers Association, Elwyhee Beet Growers Association, Florida Crystals Corporation, Florida Sugar Cane League, Michigan Sugar Company, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, National Farmers Union, NebCo Beet Growers Association, Nebraska Sugarbeet Growers Association, Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, Snake River Sugarbeet Growers, Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, Southern Montana Sugarbeet Growers Association, Sugarcane Growers Cooperative of Florida, US Beet Sugar Association, US Sugar, Western Sugar Cooperative, Wheatland Beet Growers Association, and the Wyoming Sugar Company. ###