Congressional leaders were sent a letter from a group of agriculture and food businesses and organizations, urging them to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.
A group of agriculture and food businesses have urged congressional leaders to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. A total of 226 entities, many of which represent the poultry, pig and animal feed industries, signed a letter that explains how inaction on the trade deal is harming the U.S. economy.
About the TPP agreement
The TPP, negotiations on which concluded last October, is a regional trade deal that includes the United States, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, which account for nearly 40 percent of global gross domestic product.
“If faithfully implemented, TPP will help level the playing field for U.S. exports and create new opportunities for us in the highly competitive Asia-Pacific region,” said the agricultural and food groups in a letter to Senate and House leaders.
In addition to removing export barriers, the TPP agreement includes high-standard rules that will encourage market-driven and science-based terms of trade that will help the U.S. food and agriculture industry compete in the Asia-Pacific region, the groups pointed out in their letter.
The letter was addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady, House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sandy Levin, Senate Finance Committee Chair Orrin Hatch and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden.
Letter signed by diverse group
Organizations signing the letter represented a broad range of agricultural interests, but many of those groups represent the poultry, pig and livestock feed industries.
Among the groups to sign the letter are: Tyson Foods, Seaboard Foods, Smithfield Foods, Cargill, Hormel Foods, Kraft-Heinz, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, National Pork Producers Council, National Renderers Association, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, U.S. Meat Export Federation, The Poultry Federation, Alabama Poultry & Egg Association, California Grain and Feed Association, California Poultry Federation, Georgia Poultry Federation, Mississippi Poultry Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Kentucky Poultry Federation, Michigan Pork Producers Association, Minnesota Pork Producers Association, Nebraska Pork Producers Association, North Carolina Pork Council, North Carolina Poultry Federation, Ohio Pork Producers Council, Northwest Chicken Council, Virginia Pork Council, Virginia Poultry Federation and the North American Meat Institute.
