(NAFB.com) – Brian Kuehl , executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, the nation’s leading coalition of American ag and food producers that depend on trade and exports, reacted to the imposition of Section 232 tariffs. “Recent history shows that indiscriminate 232 tariffs trigger harsh retaliation against U.S. farmers and food producers,” Kuehl says. “In 2018, targeted countries responded with tariffs on uniquely American agricultural products, everything from soybeans and pork to bourbon.” Farmers for Free Trade says when these American products get saddled with onerous tariffs, it directly hurts American farmers, ranchers, and food manufacturers – American businesses that depend on exports to survive. “Rather than strengthening American industry, these tariffs make it harder to sell the very products the world wants from us,” Kuehl adds. “If we truly want to grow our economy and support Americans that are producing right here at home, we need to expand exports, not make them a target.”