The Australian Government has welcomed the appointment of new US Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Tom Vilsack.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said the new appointment would continue the strong agricultural cooperation between the United States and Australia.
"I congratulate the new Secretary of Agriculture on his confirmation and look forward to working with him on advancing agriculture globally," Minister Littleproud said.
"I know that Secretary Vilsack has already engaged very constructively with Australia during his previous time in the role.
"Australia places great importance on our long-standing agricultural relationship with the US and I look forward to continuing to build those ties with Secretary Vilsack.
"The US is our third largest agricultural export market by value and one of our largest suppliers of agricultural imports.
"It is also an important source of agricultural investment and the farm machinery and equipment that plays such an important role in the productivity of Australia's agricultural sector.
"We share a vision for prosperous rural economies that emphasises innovation, new markets and environmental stewardship.
"Australia sees great opportunity in increasing our engagement with the US in these areas, which we know will play a vital role in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing agriculture-both in Australia, and across the globe."
Fast Facts:
- On 23 February, the US Senate confirmed Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture.
- He previously served as Secretary of Agriculture from 2009 to 2017.
- Australia's agricultural exports to the US were worth around $4.6 billion in 2020, making it our third largest market.
- The Australia-US agricultural relationship is supported by the Australia - United States Free Trade Agreement, which last year celebrated its 15th anniversary.
