After 25 years, Argentina has opened its border to American pork imports
By Kaitlynn Anderson
Farms.com
For the first time in 25 years, U.S. pork producers will gain access to the Argentine market.
The new market access was confirmed after an August 15 meeting between American vice-president Mike Pence and Mauricio Macri, the president of Argentina, according to Thursday’s White House press release.
Argentina banned American pork imports since 1992 due to animal health concerns, according to a Food Dive article.
But access to the Argentine market is expected to open by the end of the year, Nick Giordano, spokesperson for the NPPC, said in a Reuters article.
“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,” Ken Maschhoff, president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), said in a NPPC release.
“It's not going to be a huge market for us, but it’s important and we’re happy after 20-plus years of knocking on the door and it has opened," Giordano told Reuters.
As the pork industry depends on exports, the NPPC hopes that the U.S. will be able to gain access to markets in additional countries as well. In particular, Thailand and India are two of these access-restricted countries, the NPPC said.
The U.S. is one of the largest exporters of pork in the world, according to the World’s Top Exports website.