North American pork industry leaders discuss trade
The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) recently hosted a meeting of North American pork industry leaders, finding several areas of common interest and concern.
The meeting took place in Montreal, Quebec, where representatives of the CPC met with their counterparts from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the Mexican pork producer organization, the Confederación de Porcicultores Mexicanos (CPM).
“It is quite clear to me from our discussion that pork farmers from all across North America share the same abiding commitment to providing consumers a nutritious, safe and affordable food supply,” said Jean-Guy Vincent, chair of the Canadian Pork Council. “I’m pleased that we have a common interest and commitment to trade negotiations such as TPP and recogniwe that maintaining pork markets and opening up new markets to pork is important to the North American hog industry.”
“We agreed that herd health is a critical component to the success of the industry and I’m pleased that we have a common interest in preventing a resurgence of PEDv as well as a need to keep this virus in control.”
The Mexican, US and Canadian producer representatives also discussed several others areas of common interest including the potential for Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to open up additional export opportunities for the North American pork industry, a desire for the United States to come into compliance with WTO rulings on Country-of-Origin Labelling (COOL) and to thus avoid retaliatory actions by Canada and Mexico, and the need for science-based food safety and animal health regulations that avoid unnecessary disruptions to trade.
“The single most important commercial issue before our producers is the elimination of the gate price in Japan and all tariffs on pork in every TPP nation,” said Howard Hill, president of NPPC. “We appreciate the importance of working together with our colleagues in the North American pork industry to attain these objectives” said Hill.
José Cervera, CPM’s treasurer and who led the Mexican delegation, added “The Mexican pork industry has made tremendous progress towards achieving the international health status which, together with TPP and other trade agreements, allows us to participate in the rapidly growing international pork market”.
The next meeting will be take place in the spring of 2015 and be hosted by the National Pork Producers Council.
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