Members of the meat industry applauded the Phase One trade deal with China, a vital and growing market for the meat and poultry industry. President Trump and Vice Premier Liu signed the agreement in a ceremony at the White House on January 15.

“We are encouraged by the Phase One deal with China, which eliminates non-tariff barriers to trade with our fastest growing market for meat and poultry products. We will continue to work with the Trump Administration to negotiate greater access to Chinese markets,” said Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. “It remains vital to address retaliatory tariff issues, which have made it difficult to export to China.”

“Re-opening the door for business in China was a huge win for America’s turkey farmers and processors, creating the potential for this to once again become a major market for our products,” said National Turkey Federation (NTF) Chairman Kerry Doughty. “With the signing of the Phase One trade agreement, NTF looks forward to a strengthened trade relationship with China. Thank you to President Trump, Ambassador Lighthizer, Secretary Perdue and the many others who have worked diligently to reach this agreement that boosts American agriculture. We are eager to work with the Trump Administration and Congress to advance additional key trade opportunities for the industry, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.” 

The Administration is expected to release additional details of the agreement. The U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, said there is a commitment to increase China’s overall agriculture purchases to $40 billion compared to the $24 billion in agriculture products the U.S. exported to China in 2017. The deal will go into effect February 3, 2020.

Source: NAMI, NTF