WASHINGTON – The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) on Monday expressed its approval of the Bush administration’s announcement of negotiations to enter the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, a free trade agreement between Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei.

The United States began talks in March to enter the regional free-trade agreement, also known as P4, with investment and financial services. The P4 trade agreement went into effect in 2006 and includes a clause to allow other nations to join.

“This is an important step toward maintaining and expanding U.S. pork exports to the Asia-Pacific region,” said NPPC President Bryan Black. “We look forward to the resolution of our market access issues with New Zealand and to the eventual accession of new nations to the agreement.”

New and expanded market access through trade agreements has been the most important catalyst for increasing U.S. pork exports. Since the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement was implemented in 1989, exports of U.S. pork products have reportedly grown to more than $2.6 billion from $394 million

Source: National Pork Producers Council