Trump Withdraws U.S. From Trans-Pacific Partnership

In one of his first moves as President, Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). By signing the order, President Trump says he seeks to negotiate trade deals with individual countries.

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“We’re going to stop the ridiculous trade deals that have taken everybody out of our country and taken companies out of our country,” Trump said while signing the order.

Do you agree with President Trump's withdrawal from the TPP?

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While Trump hopes withdrawing from the TPP will help boost American jobs, most in the produce industry saw the TPP as a way to help broaden the export market of U.S. fresh produce, especially in Asian Pacific countries.

Although Congress was unlikely to approve the TPP, yesterday’s move officially closed the door on better access to the Asian market.

“We were not surprised that President Trump has officially withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact. As we know, Congress was not likely to confirm the agreement in any case. But now is the time to move past anti-trade rhetoric and begin the process of building consensus for the key portions of the agreement that had been negotiated in the TPP,” Tom Stenzel, President & CEO of United Fresh Produce Association, said. “Both U.S. agriculture and U.S. consumers benefit from trade, and exports to the Asian Pacific countries are a critical opportunity for U.S. producers. Beyond that, the TPP was the first major agreement that began to build strong rules for countries to prevent putting up protectionist measures in the form of sanitary and phytosanitary barriers. Without this agreement, we fall back to an environment where countries can simply choose to block imports without scientific justification.”

Desmond O’Rourke, Publisher of the World Apple Report, said the TPP made it easier for U.S. agricultural exports in partner countries.

“President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the TPP appears to be a step in the wrong direction for the U.S. economy, and for the agricultural and horticultural segments that are so dependent on trade with Asia,” he said. “Some major breakthroughs had been made in the TPP – for example, getting Japan to begin lowering its formidable barriers to U.S. agricultural exports. On the other hand, since the U.S. market for most agricultural and horticultural products already has few barriers, the TPP did not create any further hazards for U.S. agriculture.”

Moving Forward

The ag industry now turns its eyes to the new administration to find a valuable replacement for market access.

“We encourage President Trump and his new Administration not just to withdraw from trade agreements, but to come to the table to renegotiate agricultural agreements as soon as possible,” Stenzel says. “Our potential trading partners won’t sit idly by, but will find other partners and leave the United States behind. Most importantly, America deserves real trade agreements that benefit both consumers and producers.”

O’Rourke echoes that sentiment.

“The goals of the TPP remain valid. The best we can hope for is that the Trump administration seeks similar goals in a replacement treaty for which they can claim authorship,” he says.

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Avatar for spaceman spaceman says:

The Ag world better start thinking local USA. Most of these large Ag industry are large Corps that don’t anything about America, just like Obama was.
Get use to it.

Avatar for Proamercianag Proamercianag says:

We already import more fresh produce than we export. Keep food produced in America for Americans and stop importing so many products we can grow domestically.

Avatar for keithsrv keithsrv says:

The TPP had more in it than just trade. Had regulatory requirements and reduced intellectual property protection. Also trade imports were estimated to be a bit greater than imports. If the thing falls apart with all the other countries involved it should be an indication it was more benefit to the other countries than the US.

Avatar for keithsrv keithsrv says:

My error: Imports greater than exports.

Avatar for Jay Castleman Jay Castleman says:

This article appears to be leaning to the left with it’s commentary! True, TPP will be no more but I feel quite certain that a new, more equitable agreement will take it’s place.

President Trump has made it clear from the beginning that the US needs to negotiate better deals for America and he seems to be taking those objectives seriously.

The influence of foriegn fruit and produce have left growers harvesting short for the past number of years and the fruit that has been sold has been at less than equitable values. Growers are going out of business due to infiltrating products. American fruit first!

Avatar for Rich Kreps Rich Kreps says:

Had we even come close to fully implementing it yet? Does anyone else grow nearly the level of fresh produce as the US and more importantly California? Isn’t much of California row crop land fallowed because of the EPA and EIR’s water grab and drought? And where else is the world going to get its fresh produce? This administration will come to the table and negotiate a better deal. Don’t let the media fool you.

Avatar for Paul Paul says:

We must not become isolationist. It is a world economy and if we don’t trade with other nations our economic influence will dwindle an it will weaken our nation. Economics is the new war not arms.

Avatar for Randy Womble Randy Womble says:

As mechanization improves with robotics, gps inprovements, biopesticide developments, new vegetable varieties that are high yielding, the help of drones, microbe development for soil health and continuous education and research for all areas, we will still stay very competitive on the world markets with our costs and food safety.

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