Why Washington State Benefits the Most From TPP

Why Washington State Benefits the Most From TPP

Susan Allen
Susan Allen
I'm Susan Allen with Washington Ag Today, Yesterday I spoke with John Stuhlmiller CEO of Washington Farm Bureau on his recent trip back to DC with agribusiness professionals to champion TPP. I am sure that many of you catching this program are wondering why the Trans-Pacific Partnership is so important to our state.

Stuhlmiller: There is no question that TPP the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a land mark arrangement with the Pacific Rim for us and the analysis done by American Farm Bureau and others shows clearly that agriculture is the biggest beneficiary and Washington as the most trade dependent state, uniquely positioned closest to the Pacific Rim we stand most to benefit because of just time of shipping giving us an edge on the market there. What it will do is not only reduce tariffs but it will level the playing field for production standards and all other issues. So it will give us greater opportunity to break into those markets. So now what we are really looking for is every Farm Bureau member, every farmer across the state, everybody... to share not only the value of this particular agreement but trade in general. We do that by pressing Congress for action because that's really what the issue is now, communicating with legislatures the need for the agreement to move forward.

The timing couldn't be more important for our agribusiness community to reaffirm this message of trade heading into the lame duck congress.

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