Maintaining Zero Tariff Rate on Pork Top Priority of U.S. Producers During NAFTA Renegotiation

The National Pork Producers Council says maintaining zero tariffs on the movement of pork is the top priority of U.S. pork producers as the U.S., Canada and Mexico move to modernize NAFTA

Bruce Cochrane – FarmScape Online

The first round of talks involving Canada, the United States and Mexico aimed at revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement is scheduled from August 16 to 20 in Washington.

“Canadian pork coming into the United States or U.S. pork going into Canada or Mexico goes into those countries with zero tariff, so there’s no tax on pork traded in North America, Dave Warner, with the National Pork Producers Council, said during his recent FarmScape Online interview.

“That’s our number one goal, to maintain that zero tariff rate, to make sure that there’s no disruption in pork traded among the three countries.”

“Our main goal is really just to maintain what we’ve had for 23 years”

 

Warner says the number one request of the pork industry is to maintain the zero tariff rate on pork trade in North America.

“It’s 23 years old and I know that the Trump administration wants to modernize it,” he added. “There’s some sectors that weren’t even considered when the deal was first negotiated, such as e-commerce, so they want to bring it up to date.”

According to Warner there’s a few things that can be done that would benefit the pork industry as well as the U.S.

“Better harmonization of rules and regulations,” he stated, “while making sure that any kind of regulations that might affect trade are based on science and that which ever country is implementing it be transparent. But our main goal is really just to maintain what we’ve had for 23 years.”

Warner says the 388 billion dollars worth of U.S. agricultural exports to those countries last year not only benefited U.S. farmers, they generated 48 billion dollars worth of activity in the U.S. economy and supported almost 300 thousand U.S. agricultural jobs.