As trade negotiators meet again this week, livestock and poultry producers both are urging Congress to approve Trade Promotion Authority for the president to move forward with major trade agreements.

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association president Bob McCan of Texas says TPA is important for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

“The governments of many of our competitors are actively engaged in negotiating trade agreements with growing consumer markets around the world,” said McCan. “Unless the United States takes a similar aggressive approach to secure free trade agreements, we will lose market share; not due to the quality of our products, but because our products will be more expensive due to import tariffs. While the final terms of the agreement are still far from conclusion, TPP could give the United States a stronger foothold in the growing Asian and Pacific Rim markets.”

National Pork Producers Council president Howard Hill of Iowa says they sent a letter to every member of Congress, urging passage of legislation to renew TPA. “The U.S. pork industry is the poster child for expanded trade,” said Hill. “As a result of trade agreements, our exports have increased 1550 percent in value and 1268 percent in volume since 1989, the year the U.S. implemented the FTA with Canada and started opening international markets for value-added agriculture products. Pork producers and U.S. agriculture are dependent on export markets, so NPPC is going to fight tooth and nail to get TPA passed.”

National Chicken Council (NCC) president Mike Brown says they also support TPA. “NCC supports the move toward improved free and fair international trade,” said Brown. “With 20 percent of our production being exported to more than 100 countries, outside-the-border customers are becoming more and more important, especially for our dark meat parts.”

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman will appear this morning before the Senate Finance Committee and then will be questioned in the afternoon by the House Ways and Means Committee.