March 3, 2010

US pork group pushes for pass of trade deals

An ad-hoc coalition of US food, feed and agricultural entities urged Congress to promptly pass several pending free trade agreements, according to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

Trade deals with Colombia, Panama and South Korea are awaiting congressional approval. Under each pact, many US food and agricultural products would become eligible for duty-free treatment once the agreement is implemented and nearly all would receive duty-free treatment over specified phase-in periods.
 

Congress must act on the pending agreements soon, said the coalition, led by the NPPC, because other countries are moving forward on a host of trade deals. South Korea, for example, has concluded, is negotiating or is planning to enter talks on trade agreements with 11 countries, the EU and blocs representing Southeast Asian and South American nations.
 

In addition to adding to the bottom line of producers - US pork producers, for example, would see hog prices rise by US$11 a head under the South Korea agreement - the trade pacts would also generate thousands of US jobs.
 

The coalition also expressed concern about legislation that would require the administration to demand the re-negotiation of all current or pending trade agreements.