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Seng suggests more follow-up to trade negotiations

The top man at the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) says more resources should be put into helping U.S. businesses take advantage agriculture trade deals after the negotiations are complete.  USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng tells Brownfield that U.S. spending fortifying relationships between government and agriculture export businesses pales in comparison to what the European Union invests in that regard.  Seng says he’s not surprised at the United States’ agriculture trade surplus normally achieved, but he’d like to see more done.

“I think we should do everything we can do to promote and to create programs to help us after the negotiations are conducted, to create ways to gain momentum for our industries in these markets to take advantage of those negotiations,” Seng told Brownfield Ag News at the USMEF Board of Directors meeting in St. Louis.

Seng holds up USDA’s Foreign Agriculture Service as a good example, with its offices in 97 countries.

“They do a lot of market research, market intelligence, and they do a lot of work to help industries become more successful,” said Seng.

There should be another step taken following successfully negotiated trade agreements, according to Seng.

“So what I would suggest,” he said, “is that we really take a look at how we can dignify negotiations by number one: fortifying and going out and really trying to have a good partnership with government and business to really dignify these negotiations.”

AUDIO: Philip Seng (2 min. MP3)