The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) asked the Trump administration to carefully consider the fallout from cutting off trade between the United States and Mexico. U.S. pork producers and other American farmers are already facing mounting financial losses from retaliatory tariffs by Mexico and China. The following statement may be attributed to David Herring, president of the National Pork Producers Council and a pork producer from Lillington, North Carolina.
“A cloud of uncertainty and restricted access to our most important export markets have strained U.S. pork producers and their families for more than a year. The value of our exports to Mexico and China are down 28 percent and 32 percent, respectively, this year. We are at the breaking point and cannot afford a total loss of the Mexican market, one that accounted for more than 20 percent of total U.S. pork exports last year.
“While we recognize the importance of border security, we respectfully ask the Trump administration to proceed cautiously and consider the implications of cutting off trade with a market that is so vital for rural America. We urge the administration to end current trade disputes and to focus its efforts on the upcoming trade negotiation with Japan and the expansion of export markets for U.S. agriculture, an economic sector that reduces the U.S. trade deficit by producing some of America’s most competitive export products.”
Source: National Pork Producers Council