The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the Trump administration for negotiating U.S. pork access to the Argentine market. Argentina was among several countries with non-science based barriers to U.S. pork imports.

“U.S. pork producers are the most competitive in the world and we have long sought the opportunity to provide affordable, high-quality pork in Argentina,” said NPPC President Ken Maschhoff. “We thank Secretaries Perdue and Ross, and their teams at the USDA and the Department of Commerce, as well as U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer and his team, for their diligent work to win Argentine market access.”

Maschhoff added, “We also thank Vice President Pence for his efforts, including a recent visit to Argentina, to move a trade agreement that promises significant U.S. economic benefits over the finish line.”

The U.S. pork industry, which has been the world’s largest exporter of pork over the last 10 years, depends on exports for growth. Exports added $50 — representing 36 percent of the $140 average value of a hog — to every U.S. hog marketed in 2016. NPPC continues to urge the administration to negotiate market access in other countries, such as India and Thailand, that remain closed to U.S. pork due to non-science based trade restrictions.