Meat+Poultry - April 2017 - 14

WA S H I N G T O N

Anxious for leadership
While realizing how critical international
trade is becoming to American
agriculture, the industry, including
meat and poultry processors, has
asked President Trump to appoint an
Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign
Agricultural Affairs. The processing
industry is also asking Trump to
modernize the trade structure at the US
Dept. of Agriculture.
This attempt to expand American
agriculture's strength in international
trade began five days after Trump took
office. A coalition of 133 organizations
in the agricultural and food industry
asked the new President to redo, but
not scrap NAFTA, the North American
Free Trade Agreement that exists
between the US, Canada and Mexico.
The agreement could be better,
according to most who signed the letter.
Signing the letter were major
industry players, like Tyson,
Cargill, Smithfield and trade groups
representing the industry, like North
American Meat Institute, National Pork
Producers, National Chicken Council,
National Turkey Federation, US Meat
Export Federation and National Farm
Bureau Federation.
The groups said agricultural exports
have produced a trade surplus over
the last 50 years. In 2015, the most
recent year of record, exports totaled

$130 billion, leading to almost half a
and agriculture industry is ideally
trillion dollars in economic activity
positioned to achieve significant growth
here. During the last quarter century,
in the decades ahead, given projected
the amount of American food exported
population growth of an additional 2.5
around the world has risen in both
billion people worldwide by 2050."
amount and dollar value.
They told Trump that significant
The groups noted that while there
changes are needed to keep existing
are some tariffs that can block
foreign markets and gain access
American exports, for the
to new emerging markets
most part, NAFTA has
for American food and
President Trump
brought "a windfall"
farm products. The
promised during
to food producers,
organizations sending
his campaign
including meat and
the letter said they
to renegotiate
key American
poultry processors, and
support the provision
trade deals.
to farmers. Since NAFTA
in the 2014 Farm Bill
began operating, US food
requiring the Secretary of
and agricultural exports to
Agriculture to establish an
Canada and Mexico increased more
Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign
than four times, from almost $9 billion Agricultural Affairs.
14 years ago, to almost $40 billion
"Such a position will bring high
in 2015. President Trump promised
level representation to key trade
during his campaign to renegotiate
negotiations with senior, foreign
key American trade deals. He called
officials and within the US Executive
NAFTA "a disaster." Canadian and
Branch of government," they said.
Mexican leaders say they're ready for
This seems like an easy step that
discussions, so it seems NAFTA will
should be taken by the Administration.
be renegotiated and changed, rather
Overseas markets represent 95 percent
than eliminated.
of the world's customers, 87 percent of
More recently, a smaller number of
the economic growth and 73 percent
American agriculture groups, including
of the world's purchasing power. This
some meat and poultry trade groups,
new Under Secretary for Trade Affairs
put their finger on another aspect
position should be established quickly.
of international trade that could use
And a highly-qualified person for the
some fixing. These groups are asking
job should be appointed. Then the
the President to modernize the trade
work of modernizing USDA's trade
structure at USDA.
operations can begin.
The letter said, "The US food
B E R N A R D S H I R E | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d .c o m

Significant changes are needed to keep existing
foreign markets and gain access to new emerging
markets for American food and farm products.
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