The Senate today confirmed Gregg Doud as chief agriculture negotiator, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., announced.

The vote was unanimous.

The position of chief agriculture negotiator carries the rank of ambassador and is in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

The Senate Finance Committee, of which Roberts is a member, held a hearing on Doud on Oct. 5 and sent his nomination to the full Senate last fall. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., placed a hold on Doud’s nomination because he was upset that the Trump administration showed interest in using the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations to allow Florida produce farmers to use U.S. trade remedy laws to address surges of imports from Mexico. Flake recently removed the hold.

“I’m pleased the U.S. Senate has advanced Gregg’s nomination,” Roberts said. “Our hard-working farmers, ranchers, end-users, and folks in rural America have waited too long to be represented at the trade negotiating table.”

“Raised on a farm in the great state of Kansas and possessing decades of agriculture and trade experience in Washington, I’m confident Gregg understands what trade means to agriculture, and he has the experience to help maintain U.S. agriculture’s role as a reliable supplier around the world,” Roberts concluded.

International Dairy Foods Association President and CEO Michael Dykes praised the confirmation, saying, “We welcome Gregg’s experience and expertise as the United States works to preserve the critically important dairy export market in Mexico, increase meaningful market access in Canada and seek new opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.”