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This week the U.S. House is expected to take up normalizing trade relations with Russia so U.S. producers can take full advantage of Russia’s recent accession to the World Trade Organization. The House plans to vote to end decades-old Jackson Vanik trade sanctions against Russia, and grant the world’s 9th-largest economy Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman says this is key to enabling U.S. producers to benefit from Russia’s accession to the WTO, but adds that the Jackson-Vanik Human Rights sanctions still stand in the way of WTO benefits for U.S. pork and poultry.
Senate Finance and House Ways and Means both acted earlier to meet conditions set by the Russian Parliament to equalize meat sanitation standards between the two nations. But the full House and Senate must still vote to normalize trade relations. Still, the question for U.S. agriculture and other sectors is whether Russia will be a fair player – skeptics point to China’s chronic failure to live up to its WTO obligations after joining in 2005. AFBF Trade Adviser Dave Salmonsen says China was different.
Critics argue that Russia will still try to protect their domestic pork and poultry industries, WTO rules or not, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has never been a big WTO fan.
