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NPPC reacts to EU/Japan trade deal

The president of the National Pork Producers Council says it’s more important now than ever for the US to negotiate a free trade agreement with Japan. Ken Maschhoff says today’s announcement that the European Union and Japan have reached a trade pact puts American products at a competitive disadvantage.

NPPC is renewing its request for the Trump Administration to obtain a Trans-Pacific Partnership-type deal with Japan.  The organization strongly supported the TPP, which would have nearly eliminated Japan’s tariffs on pork.  With an EU-Japan trade deal in place, NPPC says US pork producers are concerned they will lose market share. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the TPP in January.

Maschhoff says producers can’t afford to lose exports to the top customer for US pork. In 2016 Japanese consumers purchased more than $1.5-billion of US pork products and the country is the highest value market for US pork exports.

NPPC ‘very disappointed’ in TPP withdrawal