The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) received over $170,000 in federal funding for fiscal year 2024 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Market Access Program (MAP). With additional roll-over funding, AFIA’s 2024 MAP funding stands at nearly $200,000, providing the animal food industry more opportunities to broaden market access and support the export of U.S. animal food products to Vietnam and China.
“We express appreciation to the USDA for acknowledging AFIA as the foremost authority in the animal feed, feed ingredient and pet food trade,” said AFIA president and CEO Constance Cullman. “The U.S. animal food industry has the potential to sustainably enhance the efficiency and quality of global animal nutrition practices and pet food diets. However, existing foreign regulatory and policy constraints hinder fair competition for these products in foreign markets. We appreciate the opportunity to continue collaborating with the USDA to overcome these trade barriers and promote our products.”
With the recently secured MAP funding, the AFIA is positioned to continue its work on expanding the U.S. animal food industry’s $7.5 billion worth of exports. The work entails conveying to Vietnamese and Chinese stakeholders the benefits—such as utility, safety and quality—that U.S. animal food products bring to farmers in terms of improved animal production and health. It also includes providing pet owners with information about the importance of complete and balanced pet diets to help their pets live longer, healthier lives.
Operating under the MAP framework, the FAS partners with trade associations, including the AFIA, and other collaborators to jointly fund the promotion of U.S. agricultural products and commodities internationally.
