NPPC wants swift action on U.S./Japan trade deal

by | Apr 2, 2019 | 5 Ag Stories, News

The National Pork Producers Council is urging the Trump administration to ?expeditiously complete and deliver? a trade deal with Japan. The announcement follows reports that China and the U.S. will begin trade negotiations on April 15, 2019.

NPPC President David Herring in a statement says the U.S. needs a level playing field in Japan, adding “U.S. pork producers are losing market share in Japan to international competitors that have recently negotiated more favorable trade terms.? Six countries, Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam, have implemented the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement of Trans-Pacific Partnership, the TPP replacement, and gained more favorable access to Japan.

Dermot Hayes, an economist at Iowa State University, says U.S. pork will see exports to Japan grow from $1.6 billion in 2018 to more than $2.2 billion over the next 15 years if the United States quickly gains access on par with international competitors. Hayes reports that U.S. pork shipments to Japan will drop to $349 million if a trade deal on these terms is not quickly reached with Japan.