The US is missing opportunities to gain greater access to foreign markets, the country's beef producers said on the same day that reports came out stating that 11 nations have finalised a revised version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the United States.
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Canada on Tuesday announced it will join 10 other countries in signing the revised TPP. The 10 other nations are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

"Withdrawing from TPP was a missed opportunity for the United States to gain greater access to some of the world's most vibrant and growing markets", said Kent Bacus, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association's director of international trade and market access, in a statement released on Tuesday.

Bacus' statement came in the wake of the negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in Montreal, Canada, this week (Jan. 24-26).

The US Senate has, as of Tuesday, not confirmed the key negotiators including Gregg Doud as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator.

"[T]he US Senate's unwillingness to confirm key negotiators like Gregg Doud as the Chief Agricultural Negotiator, leaves the ag sector unfairly underrepresented at the world's negotiating tables. It's imperative that the Senate confirm Doud and the many other unconfirmed nominees as soon as possible", Bacus said.

Back in May 2017, the Trump administration notified Congress that the US planned to renegotiate the NAFTA, which also includes Mexico and Canada.

"We encourage negotiators in Montreal to continue building on the progress made in previous rounds so the United States can focus on tearing down trade barriers in Asia and around the world", Bacus said.  Rick Alberto