The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is preparing for a new round of Asia-Pacific trade talks under a plan known as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). The U.S. Meat Export Federation recently submitted comments on the IPEF, focusing on priorities for U.S. red meat access including promotion of science-based trade rules, promoting a systems-based approach to U.S. establishment approvals, eliminating burdensome registration requirements and advancement of regionalization agreements related to foreign animal diseases. Those comments are available online.
USMEF Assistant Vice President of Export Services Travis Arp details these priorities and explains what a potential trade deal could mean for red meat exports.
While barriers related to tariffs, quotas and import licenses are not in the IPEF as currently proposed, USMEF still highlighted these issues in the comments. These barriers place U.S. red meat products at a significant disadvantage in several key markets in the Indo-Pacific region, especially where competitors have regional or bilateral trade agreements in place.
The region is one of the most important for U.S. red meat exports. In addition to well-established markets such as Japan and South Korea, several countries in Southeast Asia hold excellent growth potential for U.S. pork, beef and lamb.
Comments