In this week’s U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) audio report, we learn more about how USMEF is preparing to co-host the International Meat Secretariat (IMS) Economics Workshop May 11-13 in Tokyo.

Joel Haggard, USMEF senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific, is one of the workshop’s featured speakers and provides insights into the event, which is held every two years.

He will participate in a panel discussion titled Free Trade Agreements and Their Implications. In the audio report, Haggard provides more details on the trade agreements that will be spotlighted in this panel discussion, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement and the recently completed China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. He also discusses the overall objectives of the workshop, which is targeted toward economists, trade analysts and other meat industry experts.