Ag News, Friday November 6, 2015

Trans-Pacific Partnership Text New Public

Farm groups are reviewing and responding to the test of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that was made available late this week.  The National Pork Producers Council quickly pledged strong support to the trade deal and urges Congress to act quickly.  The National Cattleman's Association president Philip Ellis said "While the agreement is not perfect, it is a vast improvement over the current tariff rates."  NCBA supports the agreement as the TPP would immediately reduce the tariff to Japan from 38.5 percent to 27.5 percent.  Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union took a stance of strong opposition.  NFU president Roger Johnson said "if we enter this agreement, our trade deficit, already exceeding $500 billion per year, will continue to rise, not fall."  He called the deal "as bad for America's family farmers and ranchers as we had feared."  While the release of the text is a critical benchmark, there is still much work to be done, according to the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.  He said "With 95 percent of the world's consumers outside of our borders, we cannot afford to let this opportunity slip away."  Trade Representative Michael Froman echoed that in a statement, saying "I would also encourage everyone to take a moment to consider the costs of not moving forward with the agreement."

U.S. Pork Exports Improve in September; Beef Exports Struggle

U.S. pork exports showed modest improvements in September while beef exports endured the most difficult month in some time, according to statistics released by the USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.  September pork exports volume was up six percent from a year ago to 172,012 metric tons.  Export value was $456.1 million, down 11 percent year-over-year but the highest since May.  Exports to Mexico, the leading volume destination for U.S. pork, fell slightly in volume in September by climbed 5 percent through the first nine months of the year.  Beef export volume fell 21 percent from a year ago in September to 79,474 metric tons and value was down 28 percent to $456.6 million - the lowest since January.  Beef export value in September equaled to $233.80 per head of fed slaughter - down nearly $80 from a year ago.

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