Special Report

Vetter provides update on TPP

 

Pork producers were happy to hear an end could be in sight for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)  free trade deal.

The chief negotiators of TPP are meeting this week in Hawaii.  Chief ag negotiator for the US Trade Representative Darci Vetter says they hope to make continued progress on the rules and market access part of the negotiations.  “We’re down to relatively few issues on each of the negotiating areas,” she says.  “We’ll be looking to make as much progress there as we can and make key decisions.

She tells Brownfield the most difficult decisions are the ones at the end of the negotiations.

But she says there is good momentum heading into this round of talks.  “There likely will be some issues that will come out of Hawaii that will need administrative level,” she says.  “Once we see where those are we’ll decide when is the best time and place to get those ministers together and really close out some of those issues.”