Agriculture and Food Policy Working Group Priorities

Call to Action: Reestablish the U.S.-Brazil Consultative Committee on Agriculture

The Brazil-U.S. Business Council urges the United States and Brazil to promptly resume and strengthen the Consultative Committee on Agriculture (CCA) as the principal mechanism for advancing bilateral agriculture and food policy cooperation.

Why the CCA Matters

The CCA has historically served as an important platform for dialogue, consultation, and collaboration between the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply (MAPA).

A revitalized CCA would provide a structured forum for governments and stakeholders to address trade barriers, strengthen regulatory alignment, promote innovation, and support shared food security objectives. To help achieve these goals, the private sector has developed targeted recommendations across four pillars: Agriculture Resilience, Innovation, Supply Chains, and Food Policy.

1. Agriculture Resilience

Promote long-term agricultural competitiveness by helping farmers adopt resilient practices through incentives, financing, and risk-management tools.

Recommendations

• Expand financing and de-risk adoption through rural credit, insurance, and other risk-management tools.
• Improve tax, logistics, and infrastructure policies that support agricultural competitiveness.
• Develop market-based incentives that create new revenue streams for farmers, including carbon markets and payments for ecosystem services.
• Promote clear, science-based, and interoperable standards.
• Leverage public-private partnerships to mobilize investment and scale implementation.
• Expand technical assistance and capacity-building programs.

2. Innovation

Accelerate innovation through regulatory efficiency, strong intellectual property protections, and expanded access to transformative agricultural technologies.

Recommendations

• Improve regulatory efficiency and reduce approval delays.
• Strengthen intellectual property protections and legal certainty.
• Advance traceability and animal health systems, including implementation of Brazil’s National Individual Identification Plan for Cattle (PNIB).
• Promote digital agriculture and technology adoption, including AI, satellite imagery, predictive climate tools, and precision agriculture technologies.

3. Supply Chains

Ensure reliable access to complementary agricultural inputs through stronger supply chains, more efficient customs processes, and joint engagement in third markets.

Recommendations

• Accelerate customs modernization through streamlined procedures, digital tools, and stronger interagency coordination.
• Expand cooperation in third-country markets to address non-tariff barriers, advance agricultural innovation, and improve supply chain resilience.

4. Food Policy

Advance policies that improve food affordability and security while maintaining consumer confidence.

Recommendations

• Promote food affordability and address inflationary pressures through productivity, efficiency, and open markets.
• Support science-based and regionally harmonized food labeling policies that balance transparency, consumer choice, affordability, and innovation.

Path Forward

These policy recommendations provide a practical roadmap for strengthening U.S.-Brazil cooperation on agriculture and food policy while delivering tangible benefits for producers and consumers in both countries. The Brazil-U.S. Business Council stands ready to work with government and industry stakeholders to help translate these priorities into action.