Meat groups support TPA
January 27, 2015 |08:32 PM
Four key meat groups — the National Pork Producers Council, the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association — said Monday they are urging members of Congress to grant President Barack Obama trade promotion authority so that the administration can finish negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreements.
The pork producers endorsement was especially significant because that group had said that if Japan continued to resist increasing market access for U.S. pork, the other 11 TPP countries should consider kicking Japan out of the group.
“Significant progress has been made with respect to Japan’s market access offer on pork thanks to the hard work of U.S. trade officials and the strong support of the U.S. Congress,” said NPPC President Howard Hill.
“While NPPC is reserving judgment on a final TPP agreement, we believe it is imperative that Congress approve TPA as a signal to our trading partners that the U.S. is ready to finalize an agreement that expands U.S. trade and generates U.S. jobs.”
“It is necessary to have TPA enacted because it will be essentially impossible to gain congressional trade pact approval otherwise,” National Chicken Council President Michael Brown said in a news release.
Brown noted that chicken meat and paw exports accounted for approximately $5 billion in 2014.
"Trade promotion authority gives our trade negotiators the maximum flexibility to get a deal that expands turkey sales abroad and that benefit all American poultry and livestock producers,” said National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger.
“Congress retains the final say on whether a deal should be approved, and we urge the House and Senate to move swiftly to grant this authority.”
“Over 12 million American jobs depend on exports, and with the renewal of TPA, valuable free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership can move forward,” the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a news release.
NCBA President and Texas cattle producer Bob McCan said that under TPP, the U.S. beef industry could see the elimination of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that hinder the industry’s ability to meet free market demand for beef in the Pacific Rim.
“The governments of many of our competitors are actively engaged in negotiating trade agreements with growing consumer markets around the world,” McCan said.
“Unless the United States takes a similar aggressive approach to secure free trade agreements, we will lose market share; not due to the quality of our products, but because our products will be more expensive due to import tariffs,” he said.
“While the final terms of the agreement are still far from conclusion, TPP could give the United States a stronger foothold in the growing Asian and Pacific Rim markets.”
In reaction to the statements from the meat groups, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “It is no surprise that agricultural producers are joining the chorus of voices calling on Congress to renew trade promotion authority.”
“The past six years were the strongest period for agricultural exports in the history of our nation, despite the fact that many other countries’ markets are not as open to American products as our markets are to theirs,” Vilsack said.
“New trade agreements that help level the playing field for agriculture will build on the success we've seen in the agricultural economy since 2009 and help producers create more new jobs across the country,” he said.
“What makes the agricultural economy stronger makes our entire nation's economy stronger. It is imperative that Congress act on Trade Promotion Authority early this year.”
The pork producers endorsement was especially significant because that group had said that if Japan continued to resist increasing market access for U.S. pork, the other 11 TPP countries should consider kicking Japan out of the group.
“Significant progress has been made with respect to Japan’s market access offer on pork thanks to the hard work of U.S. trade officials and the strong support of the U.S. Congress,” said NPPC President Howard Hill.
“While NPPC is reserving judgment on a final TPP agreement, we believe it is imperative that Congress approve TPA as a signal to our trading partners that the U.S. is ready to finalize an agreement that expands U.S. trade and generates U.S. jobs.”
“It is necessary to have TPA enacted because it will be essentially impossible to gain congressional trade pact approval otherwise,” National Chicken Council President Michael Brown said in a news release.
Brown noted that chicken meat and paw exports accounted for approximately $5 billion in 2014.
"Trade promotion authority gives our trade negotiators the maximum flexibility to get a deal that expands turkey sales abroad and that benefit all American poultry and livestock producers,” said National Turkey Federation President Joel Brandenberger.
“Congress retains the final say on whether a deal should be approved, and we urge the House and Senate to move swiftly to grant this authority.”
“Over 12 million American jobs depend on exports, and with the renewal of TPA, valuable free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership can move forward,” the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said in a news release.
NCBA President and Texas cattle producer Bob McCan said that under TPP, the U.S. beef industry could see the elimination of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers that hinder the industry’s ability to meet free market demand for beef in the Pacific Rim.
“The governments of many of our competitors are actively engaged in negotiating trade agreements with growing consumer markets around the world,” McCan said.
“Unless the United States takes a similar aggressive approach to secure free trade agreements, we will lose market share; not due to the quality of our products, but because our products will be more expensive due to import tariffs,” he said.
“While the final terms of the agreement are still far from conclusion, TPP could give the United States a stronger foothold in the growing Asian and Pacific Rim markets.”
In reaction to the statements from the meat groups, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “It is no surprise that agricultural producers are joining the chorus of voices calling on Congress to renew trade promotion authority.”
“The past six years were the strongest period for agricultural exports in the history of our nation, despite the fact that many other countries’ markets are not as open to American products as our markets are to theirs,” Vilsack said.
“New trade agreements that help level the playing field for agriculture will build on the success we've seen in the agricultural economy since 2009 and help producers create more new jobs across the country,” he said.
“What makes the agricultural economy stronger makes our entire nation's economy stronger. It is imperative that Congress act on Trade Promotion Authority early this year.”
