Farmscape for March 21, 2018

The National Pork Producers Council warns loss of the North American Free Trade Agreement would be a devastating blow to an industry that's in the process of ramping up production to meet the strongest ever export demand.
With the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement running out of time to reach completion prior to the Mexican Presidential elections and then the U.S, mid-term elections, support in the U.S. for preserving the benefits of the 24 year old agreement is becoming more vocal.
Jim Monroe, the Senior Communications Director with the National Pork Producers Council, says NAFTA is critically important to the U.S. pork sector.

Clip-Jim Monroe-National Pork Producers Council:
U.S. pork exported about 6.5 billion dollars of product in 2017.
About a third of that goes to NAFTA countries so, if we were to terminate NAFTA, there have been studies done that suggest that it would be a 1.5 billion dollar loss to the U.S. pork industry.
That is a huge hit to the industry and, given the fact that more than 25 percent of U.S. pork production goes towards exports and a significant amount of that to Canada and Mexico, the NAFTA countries, it would be a devastating blow for the industry.
The industry is actually in growth mode.
Demand for our product world wide has never been greater.
The industry has expanded with new pork plants.
Five have either recently gone on line or will soon go on line, new pork plants, and we need export markets to support that growth and that expansion.

Monroe observes the world is moving forward with new free trade agreements without the United States.
He says the pork sector is concerned and would like to see the uncertainty around the North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.S. free trade agreement with South Korea removed and the benefits of those agreements preserved and see new free trade agreements initiated in other markets where the U.S. pork sector has tremendous growth opportunity.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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