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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGlobal Meat Corporations Push for Sweetheart TPP Trade Deal (as Obama goes to Asia)
Published on
Friday, November 07, 2014
by
Common Dreams
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/11/07/global-meat-corporations-push-sweetheart-trade-deal
'TPP countries are already important export markets for the U.S. meat industry, but the industry believes that a new trade agreement would put those exports into overdrive,' report says
by
Deirdre Fulton, staff writer
The global meat industry views the Trans-Pacific Partnership as an opportunity to "undermine local, democratic control of agriculture systems" and increase factory-farmed meat exports around the world, charges a new report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.
The report, Big Meat Swallows the Trans-Pacific Partnership (pdf), was released Friday in advance of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, at which world leaders are slated to discuss the international trade deal.
http://www.iatp.org/files/2014_11_05_TTPBigMeat_BL.pdf
It examines attempts by big beef, pork, and poultry corporations like Cargill, Tyson, and JBS USAwho have long been influential in trade talks and who have profited from so-called free trade pacts in the pastto reduce tariffs, lower food safety standards, and weaken regulatory barriers in order to expand their export markets.
"Not mentioned by the industry is that tariffs are often an important tool to help countries protect their own farmers and retain control of their own food systemconsidered important for both food and national security."
Ben Lilliston, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
The global meat industry has already used trade rules to attack very basic consumer rights like country of origin labeling of food. These corporations view TPP as an important opportunity to further undermine local, democratic control of agricultural systems, and expand their reach globally."
For example, meat giants are targeting Japanalready one of their biggest markets, but also one with a variety of tariffs and safeguards on chicken, pork and beef to protect their own farmers and food system from a flood of imports. The National Pork Producers Council has called several times for Japan to be excluded from the TPP unless it drops its meat tariffs.
"TPP countries are already important export markets for the U.S. meat industry, but the industry believes that a new trade agreement would put those exports into overdrive," Lilliston writes. "In 2013, the U.S. exported more than $58 billion in food and agricultural exports to TPP countries, accounting for 72 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports, according to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
The USTR argues that number would increase dramatically with the elimination of tariffs under TPP. Not mentioned by the industry or USTR is that tariffs are often an important tool to help countries protect their own farmers and retain control of their own food systemconsidered important for both food and national security."
The TPP has already come under fire for threatening food sovereignty and small-scale agriculture in other ways, just as food and farming advocates say NAFTA has done.
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http://www.iatp.org/files/2014_11_05_TTPBigMeat_BL.pdf
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)It's been in the works for years and the powerful the Clinton-Bush supported global corporations become, the more we can expect to see these deals become successful.
Meanwhile, America wants to watch sports or learn more about the Kardashians.
glinda
(14,807 posts)gonna be hard as they buy up all of the Companies. The good ones.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)I hope they are ok. We switched to raw after that and our pets have never been healthier. It's a lot of work, but since we buy our meet directly from the farm, we save lots of money. Best wishes to you and your pets from one pet lover to another.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Kroeger was asked where their "Simple Truth Organic Chicken" comes from and they refused to answer. Seafood from Asia is also quite a problem. The TPP will be a disaster on so many levels it's impossible to fathom.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)To be eligible for import it has to be certified as growth-hormone free (which most US beef isn't). China, not the only country with questionable standards. Factory-farmed American beef and poultry doesn't meet standards in most of the rest of the developed world.
And in the EU food products are required to have country-of-origin labelling.
flvegan
(64,408 posts)Whoops, sorry.
BTW, CAFOs and "industrialized meat production" is shorthand for you...nope, nevermind.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)like the President was being defiant towards the Republicans. But I think the President will see the opportunity to get his Free Trade deals passed. Fast track that shitch right up our ... noses.
The President is probably thankful that he won't have to worry about any pesky liberals in the Senate that might want to limit fricking-fracking or stop further Wall Street bailouts.
The President may pretend to be defiant towards the Conservative Senate, but in reality, he sees it as a plus to get his Conservative agenda passed.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)That's what stuck out to me. And besides, this trade treaty business is not needed. What is the sense in importing a particular kind of fish from them, and us exporting the same kind of fish to them? And while every one is busy importing and exporting and trading with one another, oops... there go some more of our good-paying jobs. Jobs are the only export that doesn't come back, like the soon-to-be unclean fish.