The European Union and Japan formally agreed to the outline of a free trade deal. America’s pork producers want to know why the U.S. is not moving on its own bilateral deal with Japan, the highest value market for U.S. pork exports. They say that, now that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement has gone away, the U.S. needs to be moving forward quickly on a TPP-type of deal with Japan.
Under the old TPP, Japan’s tariffs on pork would have been completely eliminated. When their agreement is fully in place, the E.U. will be able to sell pork at a lower tariff rate that will eventually disappear, making it harder for American pork to compete in the market. Other countries are moving ahead on bilateral trade agreements, and U.S. pork producers do not want to miss out on opportunities. “We’ve let the administration know they should focus on the Asian-Pacific area and start with Japan,” says Dave Warner of the National Pork Producers Council. “It’s the fastest growing area in the world.” Japanese consumers purchased $1.6 billion in U.S. pork, and demand is very strong in spite of tariffs and other measures that limit market access.
Source: NAFB News Service