The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) has released a report outlining the importance of Canada's involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
The report looks at two scenarios: one that has Canada as part of the agreement and the other does not.
"Being part of the agreement with the other 11 TPP countries could see a rapid increase in exports to Japan and or open access to other export markets," said CPC Chair Rick Bergmann. "In the event Canada is not part of the TPP agreement pork producers would see a significant decline in the value of their pigs and the Canadian pork sector could see, in short order, a decline of almost 40% in the volume of pork exports to Japan."
He wants Canada to be fully engaged in talks through the entire process, and not to get left behind as was the case in the South Korea free trade agreement.
"The Canadian pork industry has real experience with what it is like when your competitors achieve preferred terms of access through trade deals," said Bergmann. "When the United States achieved a free trade agreement with South Korea before Canada, Canadian pork exports to Korea plummeted by more than two-thirds, or $170 million’ in just two years and Japan is a far larger market for us than South Korea has ever been."
Source : PortageOnline