With negotiations ongoing in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, the Canadian Pork Council says it is critical for Canada to be included in the final agreement.
Canada is one of 12 countries, including the United States and Japan, who are in the midst of discussing the agreement. The TPP would include other trade sectors than just pork, but since over 65 per cent of Canadian pork production is exported, the Pork Council says it is a must for Canada to be a part of an agreement like this.
"In our minds, not being involved in the TPP is not an option. We have to, it's a must," says Canadian Pork Council chairperson, Rick Bergmann. "It'll be very devestating, actually, for our industry [if we are not part of the TPP] because we export so much out of the country."
According to the Pork Council, if Canada was left out of a TPP agreement that included Japan, Canadian pork producers would lose about $5 per animal, and the volume of pork exports to Japan would decrease almost 40 per cent. That's $330 million in sales. But if Canada and Japan were both apart of a TPP agreement, the Pork Council estimates exports to Japan could quickly grow by 10 per cent, given the improved access to the Japanese market.
Source : PortageOnline