Nebraska Pork Officials Travel to Japan and Vietnam for Trade Talks

Pork is the number one meat consumed by the people of Japan and Vietnam. These countries have the potential to be a major export market for pork from Nebraska and the United States. These person-to-person trade missions are extremely helpful in increasing the potential for future sales and the impact to the bottom-line of rural America.

Tim Chancellor, President of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association (NPPA) was among the 30-member Heartland Team, which included beef, pork, corn and soybean producers and other agricultural industry leaders, met with key players in the Japanese trade, toured retail and restaurant sectors, explored Japanese domestic production and overall, gained a better understanding of the potential in the market and how USMEF works to develop the Japanese market for U.S. red meat products. The visit came on the heels of the trade agreement in principle that would bring Japanese tariffs on U.S. beef, pork and other agricultural products in line with tariffs of our competitors.

“Knowing where product comes from and how it is produced is important with Japanese consumers,” says Tim Chancellor, President of the Nebraska Pork Producers. “It is a fascinating and sophisticated market and consumers want assurances about the safety and quality of imported products.”

NPPA Executive Director Al Juhnke recently returned from a trip led by Governor Pete Ricketts, with the Nebraska ag trade delegation and hosted by Dan Kritenbrink, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam. Ambassador Kritenbrink is a native of Nebraska and graduate of the University of Nebraska–Kearney.