Pork Leaders Talk NAFTA, Exports at Expo
Pork leaders were quick to talk trade during the 2017 World Pork Expo—and the need to continue the successes of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for U.S. pork.
“We export 23% to 24% of U.S. pork production,” said Steve Meyer, vice president of pork analysis for Express Markets Inc. Analytics, during a National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) press conference Thursday.
Any disruption to current trade levels would dramatically overfill U.S. pork supplies and pressure domestic hog prices, he adds.
Of those exports, the U.S. sends 20% more pork to countries with free trade agreements,” adds John Weber, NPPC past president and policy committee chair.
Still, any change in NAFTA opens up questions for pork producers.
“[Trump] tapped into a feeling out there that this regulatory state has grown so big it’s become cumbersome on all sorts of businesses,” Michael Formica told "AgriTalk" Wednesday. “There are some regulations that have been on the books for a long time that are out of date…they don’t improve the business community. It’s time to replace some, and jump-start the economy.” Listen to the full report below.
National Pork Producers Council president Ken Maschhoff says technology has spurred U.S. pork production and export markets are critical to maintaining profitability for U.S. producers.
“[NAFTA] has been a home run for us. It’s really been good for producers in all three countries, actually. So when we visit, we have a tri-lateral group that works together...we talk through issues,” he says. “If you look at total exports, about 36% of our exports the last year, and this year it’s been closer to 40%, have been with Canada and Mexico.” Listen to the full report below.
“We want to work with the administration,” he adds. “We realize it’s a 20-year agreement. It probably needs some massaging, and certainly there are industries that want to get their changes made. But for pork, we want to see as little change as possible.”
Pork leaders agree the trade agreement might need adjustment for other industries, but pork producers want to keep current successes at status quo, while also increasing bi-lateral trade agreements to create greater demand for U.S. exports.
