A group of eleven organizations including the National Farmers Union and Family Farm Defenders have delivered a letter to the leadership of the House Agriculture and Ways and Means Committees and the Senate Agriculture and Finance Committees expressing opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The groups are reiterating the fears expressed by many in the dairy industry that the trade pact includes New Zealand and what many see as monopolistic dairy policy that would do damage to U.S. dairy interests. The letter urges Congress to adopt new trade policymaking procedures rather than reinstating so-called “fast-track” authority when it comes time to approve the deal. They ask that the U.S. Trade Representative’s office publish all details of the deal including an analysis of how it would impact the U.S. dairy industry.
The latest round of negotiations for the deal is underway in Singapore. Nations involved in the talks include Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the United States and Vietnam. Other Pacific Rim nations including Japan, the Philippines and Thailand are watching the talks closely as they consider joining-in.
The eleven groups delivering the letter were: Citizens Trade Campaign, Family Farm Defenders, Food & Water Watch, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/ Land Assistance Fund, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, League of Rural Voters, the National Farmers Union, and Rural Coalition/Coalicion Rural.
A copy of the letter can be found here:
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Oh heaven forbid that dairy actually be expected to compete in a globalized marketplace. We can’t have that. Hey, here’s a secret dairy…go read “The World if Flat”. Globalization is a fact of life and you better get use to it.