Agricultural News
Trade Group Says US-China Beef Deal "Cuts the American Cowboy's Throat," Calls for Renegotiation
Wed, 12 Jul 2017 15:44:18 CDT
In an open letter to the Trump Administration, Wednesday, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) expressed its strong belief that the trade deal recently brokered between the US and China allowing US beef products into Chinese markets, should be renegotiated. OCM says the agreement as it exists now poses a threat to US farmers and ranchers, that could potentially put them at a disadvantage to foreign beef from Canada and Mexico.
"The current trade deal provisions do not limit beef exports to China to only U.S. raised beef, rather they allow the exported beef to originate from the U.S., Canada or Mexico. The words describing the exported beef under this trade agreement as "U.S. beef" are misleading to both the U.S. cattle producers who are seeking market opportunity and to Chinese consumers who will think they are purchasing high-quality U.S. beef," the letter states.
In addition, CMO says the agreement holds US cattle producers to a higher standard of traceability than our Mexican and Canadian counterparts.
CMO is advocating to renegotiate the trade deal, to include language guaranteeing that only beef originating from the US be allowed exportation to China. The letter also requests that additional measures to ensure the authenticity of the exported beef be made, by requiring labeling identifying where the beef was born, raised and processed.
The letter reads critically of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's involvement with the negotiations that transpired during the crafting of this agreement. CMO accuses NCBA of being more concerned with the interests of packers rather than the producers.
"We are hopeful that in the future this administration will allow the interests of US farmers and ranchers to be at the table so America's interests are represented," the letter states. "It should never be the U.S. government's position to further foreign owned and operated multi-national corporations' interest over that of U.S. farmers, ranchers and businesses."
You can view the complete letter, by clicking here.
Source - Organization for Competitive Markets
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