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NCBA leader says TPP would benefit U.S. beef

A leader with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says the organization was encouraged with President Trump’s recent announcement that he would consider rejoining the Trans Pacific Partnership, until he changed his mind and said it would need to be a better deal for the U.S.

Kent Bacus, the director of international trade and market access with NCBA, says reentering the Trans Pacific Partnership would improve relations with Japan, the largest export market for U.S. beef.

“The United States worked very hard to negotiate good terms for beef access into the Japanese market,” he says. “We currently face a 38.5 percent tariff and under TPP that tariff would have decreased to 9 percent.”

He tells Brownfield that if the U.S. does not reenter the TPP, a bilateral agreement must be made with Japan.

“We were encouraged that Prime Minister Abe was at Mar-a-Lago with President Trump,” he says. “We need those conversations to continue but we also need to see some achievements as well.”

Bacus says Japan will continue to be top priority as other countries move forward without the U.S., but they hope the administration will reconsider joining the TPP.

Audio: Kent Bacus, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association