"Consequently, the resilience of the US meat and poultry industry is inextricably linked to US trade policy and attendant initiatives that foster US meat and poultry export growth. However, the industry’s export potential remains limited by unjustified sanitary barriers, prohibitive tariffs and tariff rate quotas, and onerous registration and approval requirements for exporting facilities, among other impediments."

The Meat Institute submitted comments in response to the US Trade Representative’s "Request for Comments on Significant Foreign Trade Barriers for the 2026 National Trade Estimate Report."

The Meat Institute’s comments cite the following issues as barriers to US meat and poultry market growth:

• China continues to renege on commitments made in the US - China Phase One Agreement
• China’s retaliatory Sect. 232 and 301 retaliatory tariffs on US meat exports constrain growth
• Despite progress, persistent regulations impede US beef and pork exports to Taiwan
• Opportunities to access growing markets in Southeast Asia are constrained by persistent trade Barriers: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam
• Removing ongoing restrictions on beef, addressing other emerging concerns are necessary to fully implement KORUS
• European Union and United Kingdom policies unduly restrict meat and poultry exports
• Increasing establishment registration requirements risk undermining market access for US meat and poultry exports in global markets, like Hong Kong
• Build on the momentum with Australia to advance progress for US beef, pork and poultry exports
• Longstanding barriers preclude beef, pork and poultry trade with South Africa
• Precedent-setting protections for common meat names must be replicated
• Proactive efforts to address foreign animal disease are essential to preserving trade and business continuity

"The Trump Administration’s America First Trade Policy Agenda, though, has reinvigorated American trade policy and has demonstrated that it is capable of proactively addressing these unfounded barriers, which continue to proliferate, and which curtail US meat and poultry export potential, while harming America’s farmers, ranchers, and workers that produce the most nutritious, abundant, and efficient food supply in the world, said Potts.

“In only a few short months, the Trump Administration has made progress in Europe, the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, and other critical markets, and the Meat Institute welcomes the opportunity to continue to work with the Trump Administration to reassert American leadership to advance US meat, poultry, food, and agriculture trade in a manner that revitalizes our farm communities and supports broad-based economic growth.

Source: Meat Institute