Senators Press Elimination of TPP Barriers to US Chicken
The elimination of trade restrictions on chicken products through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations would help expand U.S. chicken exports that already account for 20 percent of total U.S. chicken product sales, said Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., along with nine other Senators, in a Jan. 14 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The Canadian supply management program, in particular, significantly limits U.S. chicken exports to the country, said the Senators.
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“As you know, despite ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada has continued to impose restrictions on imports of U.S. chicken products and the U.S. has been unsuccessful in lifting those restrictions,” said the Senators. “We urge you to continue to work to address this long-standing, unjustified issue during the TPP negotiations and create true free trade for U.S. poultry.” Additionally, Australia and New Zealand’s use of non-scientific barriers prohibit U.S. chicken product exports to those countries in violation of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) standards, said the Senators. Japan also sets an unofficial quota on U.S. chicken product exports, a barrier that TPP negotiations could remove, said the Senators.