WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2016 - There’s no sign that Capitol
Hill is in any hurry to give the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) its stamp of
approval, so producer groups are taking it upon themselves to push for speedy
ratification of the agreement.
On Tuesday, the American Farm Bureau Federation published a report
detailing its estimates of the agreement’s agricultural benefits. The big money
statistic from the report was a projected $4.4 billion annual increase in net
farm income that the report says is “over levels expected if Congress fails to
ratify TPP.”
On a call with reporters, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
and AFBF President Zippy Duvall both agreed that prompt congressional approval
of TPP is necessary. As Duvall put it, America “needs to be the leader” on
trade to get the best outcome for its producers.
“Every day that does by, we fall further and further behind”
and the benefits “get smaller and smaller,” Duvall said. “We’re coming to the
dance late, so we need to catch up. We need to get this done.”
Also on Tuesday, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
sent a letter
to Congress urging support of the agreement – and fast. In the letter, NCBA
President Tracy Brunner told lawmakers that “now is the time to lead.” While
the agreement might not be perfect, “it is a vast improvement over the status
quo,” he said.
Duvall said that while the agreement might not be headed for
immediate consideration, AFBF can’t let that decrease the intensity of their push
for approval.
“It may end up being (considered in the lame duck), but we
need to push it like we’re going to try to get it done tomorrow, because it
needs to happen,” Duvall said. This week, 750 Farm Bureau members from across
the country are in Washington for the group’s annual fly-in, likely pushing for
TPP and a GMO labeling bill that will be considered in the Senate Ag Committee
on Thursday.
“There will be continued requests and messaging to Congress
about the need to get this done and get this done quickly,” Vilsack noted,
adding that he hopes leadership in both chambers “would understand the delay is
costly.”
Some other key figures from the Farm Bureau report:
•
Domestic beef production would jump by 324 million
pounds annually as a result of TPP, and increased exports would put upward
pressure on prices, resulting in a $1.14 billion boost in cash receipts.
•
Domestic pork product would jump by 794 million pounds
a year, directly attributable to TPP implementation. Domestic demand for pork
is expected to drop by 346 million pounds due to higher prices but exports are
expected to climb by 1.1 billion pounds, mostly on increased sales to Japan and
Vietnam. Cash receipts would increase by $1.1 billion.
•
Corn would actually experience a dip in exports of
about 45.3 million bushels due to smaller livestock herds in countries
including Japan. But the growth in the U.S. livestock herd would lead to
increased domestic demand and a 7.1 million-bushel boost in production, adding
$680 million to cash receipts.
•
Japanese demand for soybeans is expected to decrease as
a result of the agreement, but demand from other countries is expected to
offset that drop and still lead to a $530 million increase in the value of the
soybean crop.
•
In total, livestock receipts after implementation are
expected to be $5.8 billion higher. Crops, including fruits and vegetables, are
also projected higher to the tune of $2.7 billion.
The National Farmers Union, which opposes TPP, was not
impressed with the report. In a statement, NFU President Roger Johnson said
that “to “broadly categorize agriculture as benefiting from this agreement is
not giving due diligence to the serious concerns that are not addressed by TPP.”
Johnson said that in its current form, TPP “stands to hurt our rural
economies by pitting American jobs against foreign labor.” He went on to say
that “any consumer that cares about where their food comes from should be
concerned with the TPP.”
#30
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