TPP Talks
TPP Talks. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture.
17 U.S. Senators are calling on Japan to end tariffs and other trade barriers to U.S. pork, beef and other ag products in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership talks. The bipartisan group of Senators wrote U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman they are concerned Tokyo has not yet made a comprehensive offer on ag import access to Japan's market.
They argue lack of such access would undermine the administration's goal of boosting ag access to TPP countries. One of those Senators is Iowa's Chuck Grassley - former chair of the committee that deals with trade.
GRASSLEY: It seems that Japan is trying to act like a comprehensive agreement was never a part of the plan. If Japan is allowed to keep a few sacred cows out of the negotiations, you can bet that other countries will start doing the same for their sensitive products.
It's a kind of domino effect that Grassley says blunts trade progress. But there's a bigger problem.
GRASSLEY: It's highly unlikely without trade promotion authority the countries involved in these negotiations won't sign an agreement at all. So I call upon President Obama to step up and press the Majority Leader of the Senate to move the bi-partisan trade promotion authority legislation.
The Senators seek assurances that the U.S. will not close the TPP negotiations without an acceptable comprehensive agreement.
That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.
