Ag Leaders Speak Out In Favor Of New Trade Agreement
October 6, 2015 Leaders from across the U.S. agriculture and food sector have continued to express their optimism and confidence in the newly reached Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Yesterday, trade ministers from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the U.S. concluded negotiations for the TPP — one of the largest trade deals in recent history. For America’s food and agriculture sector, which has remained a bright spot in the country’s economy for the past seven years, TPP would create more American jobs and drive the nation’s rural economy. U.S. agricultural trade with the 11 TPP countries accounted for 42% of U.S. agricultural exports in 2014, contributing $63 billion to the U.S. economy.
U.S. agriculture supports about 1 in 11 American jobs, while agricultural trade supports more than 1 million U.S. jobs and contributes a trade surplus to the nation’s economy benefitting rural communities and keeping U.S.-grown products in the highest-demand around the world. TPP will remove unfair trade barriers and help further the global expansion of American agricultural exports, particularly exports of meat, poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, oilseeds, cotton, and processed products.
As food and agriculture groups continue to review the final agreement, they expressed their support in the following statements:
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership has promised to open restricted markets for American business around the Pacific Rim. The American Farm Bureau Federation looks forward to reviewing the details of the agreement reached to guarantee it fulfills that promise for the nation’s farmers and ranchers.” We hope the agreement will bring a more level playing field for farmers and ranchers by reducing tariffs and removing non-science based barriers to trade. The agreement covers markets that are expected to grow rapidly for decades to come. We expect to see increased access for our agricultural products, particularly some meats. “We commend U.S. Trade Representative Froman and Chief Agricultural Negotiator Vetter for their longstanding support and determination to reach an agreement. Now it is up to us to figure out exactly what we have and how we should work with Congress to improve international market opportunities for U.S. farmers and ranchers through the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
“The Washington Council on International Trade and it members – manufacturers, retailers, farmers and service providers from across Washington state – celebrated the news that trade negotiators have finalized negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership regional free trade agreement. “After five years of negotiations on this groundbreaking trade deal that holds so much promise for Washington state, we are thrilled that a high-standard agreement has finally been concluded,” Eric Schinfeld, president of WCIT, said. “For too long Washington businesses and workers have faced numerous hurdles that prevent them from competing on a level playing field with their foreign competitors. The TPP can topple those barriers and address the issues our businesses and workers face in the 21st century – such as restrictions on cross-border data flows, state-owned enterprises that distort the market, the use of high tariffs and quotas, poor IP protections, and lax labor and environmental standards. The TPP is our chance to resolve many of these challenges and shape global trade rules that work in our favor. We thank our U.S. trade negotiators for their tireless efforts during the countless rounds of negotiations and for their commitment to finalizing the best possible deal for U.S. businesses and workers. We must seize this opportunity to improve the way the world trades and to incorporate U.S. interests and values into Asia-Pacific trade rules. We now look to Congress to vote to pass and implement this historic trade agreement without delay.”
Western Growers Statement on TPP Deal Announcement (Western Growers)
President and CEO of Western Growers Tom Nassif issued a statement following the announcement of a deal between trade ministers of the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim nations on the Trans Pacific Partnership: “Western Growers would like to congratulate U.S. negotiators and their TPP counterparts on their tireless efforts in reaching a deal that promotes enhanced trade between the Pacific Rim nations. We look forward to reviewing the final text of the recently completed agreement, which is critical for the U.S. fresh produce industry as the TPP countries represent more than 46% of our fruit, vegetable, and tree nut exports. Additionally, this agreement provides a framework for additional countries in the Pacific Rim to join in the future, which will create further opportunity for our commodities. Western Growers has emphasized throughout the negotiations the need for a TPP agreement to provide significant market access opportunities and strong Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) enforcement provisions that guarantee real access to these critical markets. We hope to find these objectives have been accomplished.”
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today made the following statement following the successful conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership:
“An agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations provides a more level playing field in trade for American farmers. The agreement would eliminate or significantly reduce tariffs on our products and deter non-science based sanitary and phytosanitary barriers that have put American agriculture at a disadvantage in TPP countries in the past. Despite these past barriers, countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership currently account for up to 42% of all U.S. agricultural exports, totaling $63 billion. Thanks to this agreement and its removal of unfair trade barriers, American agricultural exports to the region will expand even further, particularly exports of meat, poultry, dairy, fruits, vegetables, grains, oilseeds, cotton, and processed products.
“Increased demand for American agricultural products and expanded agricultural exports as a result of this agreement will support stronger commodity prices and increase farm income. Increased exports under TPP will create more good paying export-related jobs, further strengthening the rural economy. Today, agricultural trade supports more than 1 million jobs here at home and contributes a trade surplus year after year to our nation’s economy. All of this activity benefits rural communities and keeps American agriculture on the cutting edge of global commerce. The TPP agreement will contribute to the future strength of American agriculture and helps to ensure that the historic agricultural trade gains achieved under President Obama since 2009 will continue.
“The TPP agreement would not be possible without the extraordinary efforts of the negotiating team at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, assisted by the dedicated staff of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the Office of the Chief Economist. I’d also like to thank the formal trade advisors and experts from agricultural commodity groups who provided valuable market information and creative proposals to better inform U.S. negotiators. Collectively, their efforts have led to a strong deal for American agriculture.
“Failing to grasp this opportunity would be a mistake. Worse than just losing out on potential gains, our producers would fall behind other countries that are negotiating their own preferential arrangements in TPP countries. We are committed to working with Congress within the framework of the recently passed Trade Promotion Authority to obtain a strong bipartisan understanding of and support for this historic trade deal that benefits farmers, ranchers, and all those who live, work, and raise families in rural communities.”
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