Washington D.c. – April 24, 2015 – Representatives from the Five Nations Beef Alliance (FNBA)1 are in Maryland this week pressing the need for substantial trade liberalization via the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership agreement.
With the TPP negotiations seeming to be approaching the ‘end game’, discussions over the next few days will be critical given the negotiators are aiming to narrow the outstanding issues prior to a hoped for TPP Ministerial meeting in May.
FNBA members are urging TPP negotiating teams to hold firm and deliver an agreement that will make it easier to do business, establish fair trade rules and reduce costs.
Beef producers are particularly adamant that any TPP outcome must provide new and substantial market access opportunities.
Consumers around the world have a growing appetite for high quality beef products. However, responding to this demand is often stifled by a range of tariff and non-tariff barriers. The TPP offers an opportunity to remove these trade barriers.
However, for this vision to be realized, TPP members must step up to the plate and make genuine commitments to expeditiously liberalize the trade in beef.
Maintaining the status quo is not an option. Beef producers cannot accept this outcome, and neither can the beef supply chain, or our highly valued customer base.
The desire to improve the global trade environment is what brought beef producers from five competing nations together. The TPP has the potential to join 12 nations together – and in so doing provide better access to food supplies for around 800 million people.
Now is the time to secure a game changing, trade enhancing deal.
As US President Obama said2 in relation to the TPP: “It is our chance to put in place new, high standards for trade” and to “lower barriers, open markets, export goods and create good jobs for our people”.
The FNBA concurs.
CLICK HERE for more infomation about the Five Nations Beef Alliance
1 The FNBA comprises the Cattle Council of Australia; Canadian Cattlemen’s Association; Confederacion Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas (Mexico); Beef + Lamb New Zealand; and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (USA).
2 White House transcript of US President Barack Obama’s speech at the University of Queensland Australia, 15 November 2014.
Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association
