WASHINGTON — The National Pork Producers Council, National Turkey Federation, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council were among three dozen agricultural organizations lobbying the Trump administration to keep funding in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The letter — addressed to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — referenced how the rules of the WTO helped export growth reach $176 billion in 2024, while also discussing some of the issues that remain with the global group.

“Continued funding for the WTO is an investment in the future of American agriculture,” the letter said. “While the WTO faces challenges and needs reforms to improve its effectiveness, its broader role in establishing a level playing field and facilitating negotiations remains crucial for the long-term health of our sector.”

The US agriculture groups acknowledged the improvements needed to be made but pulling out of the 164-member WTO was not the solution.

“Despite these challenges, these problems would become much more difficult to resolve without robust US engagement in the WTO,” the letter said. “Scaling back engagement would almost certainly result in a proliferation of new trade barriers on US agriculture exports.”

In March, Reuters reported a pause in contributions to the WTO by the United States.