Picture: © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons
In the wake of the 2016 US presidential election result, which saw Republican candidate Donald Trump beat off competition from Democrat Hillary Clinton, the United Fresh Produce Association's senior vice-president for public policy Robert Guenther has released a statement addressing the industry:
“A lot has been said about this election – historic, unprecedented, amusing, and ugly – but at the end of the day, we take pride in our individual right to every four years vote for a new leader of our great nation. Yesterday was no different. We congratulate President-Elect Donald J. Trump and the Republican Party on their victory and look forward to working with them as they begin the daunting task of bringing this country together for the betterment of all. In addition, we salute those elected to the 115th Congress and hope they also embrace the opportunity to work together to address some of the most important issues our industry will face in the next several years.
As your advocate here in Washington, D.C., United Fresh welcomes the opportunity to work with our newly elected leaders as we focus on key issues that impact our industry including food safety, immigration reform, nutrition, federal agricultural policy, international trade, and tax reform policy. We are honoured to be your voice in the nations’ capitol, working day-in and day-out in a bipartisan manner on an unwavering produce industry public policy agenda. We believe this is one of the most valuable strengths we offer to our association’s membership by bringing all friends to the table – Republican and Democrat, rural and urban, liberal and conservative. In turn, with any new election, our industry needs to continue building strong relationships and develop new ones that are vital to our success in enacting policy initiatives that promote our ability to deliver the most nutritious and abundant food supply to the American consumer.
Congratulations to all the candidates who have committed to public service in 2016. We encourage you to take the time today to write them a note and thank them for their service, while also reminding them that you and your business will be counting on them. There is an abundance of work to do in the days, weeks and years to come. United Fresh is up to the challenge and we look forward to meeting our newly elected officials at the table for the betterment of all.”
