US Pork council: FTA’s through Congress before August recess
The US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has once more emphasised the importance of having pending Free Trade Agreements approved by the US Congress – and hopes this summer all FTA’s will be approved. This was said at a press conference at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa.
It is estimated that these FTA’s, eliminating tariffs on pork products shipped to Colombia, Panama and South Korea, will generate more than 10,000 direct full-time jobs in the United States and add more than $750 million in pork sales per year.
Mind-boggling
Nick Giordano, the NPPC’s vice president and counsel, international affairs, said that the agreements will add more than $11 to the price producers receive per pig.
“These figures are mind-boggling. We don’t want to wait any longer,” Giordano said.
He added that he is confident that all three FTA’s will go through Congress before the August recess – and warned for a ‘hefty price to pay’ if this wouldn’t happen.
Like last year, projections by Iowa State University lecturer Dermot Hayes were quoted – that if nothing happens, the USA will be out of the Korean market within ten years. The heat is on, especially since the European Union’s FTA with South Korea will go into effect this July.
Related websites:
• US National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)
• World Pork Expo
• Iowa State University (ISU)
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