Secretary Vilsack to Attend G20 Agriculture Ministerial in Italy

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2021 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will travel to the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting in Florence, Italy, this week, where he will reaffirm the United States’ commitment to international engagement on agriculture and make the case for joint action on climate, food security, agricultural innovation, and closer global integration through trade.

Vilsack and his ministerial counterparts will work to build consensus around shared concerns and specific deliverables in advance of the G20 Leaders’ Summit 2021, which will be held in Rome Oct. 30-31. The G20’s membership, which includes 19 countries and the European Union, comprises 60 percent of the world’s population, 80 percent of global GDP and 75 percent of global exports.

Thurs., Sept. 16

Secretary Vilsack will meet one-on-one with European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski; Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Tereza Cristina; and Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies Stefano Patuanelli.

He will also deliver remarks at the G20 Open Forum on Sustainable Agriculture.

Fri., Sept. 17

During the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, Secretary Vilsack will deliver remarks focused on balancing the three dimensions of sustainability in food systems

Sat., Sept. 18

During the G20 Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting, the Secretary will deliver remarks focusing on the G20’s contributions to the United Nations’ upcoming Food Systems Summit and Climate Change Conference (COP26).

He will also meet one-on-one with Luis Planas, Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Secretary Vilsack will hold a media teleconference from Florence on Thurs., Sept. 16, (timing TBD). Reporters interested in participating should email press@usda.gov by Tues., Sept. 15, by 5 p.m. ET for dial-in instructions.

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