WASHINGTON — In separate letters sent to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the American Meat Institute urged quick passage of a Free Trade Agreement with Korea and a Trade Promotion Agreement with Colombia.

"A.M.I. supports quick passage of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement," said Patrick Boyle, A.M.I. president and chief executive officer. "As the United States' tenth-largest trading partner worldwide in agricultural and livestock products, Colombia is an important market for U.S. beef and beef variety meat exports. In that regard, the U.S.-Colombia T.P.A. not only provides an opportunity to level the playing field, but it also provides a significant opportunity to expand U.S. beef and beef variety meat sales to the Colombian market.

"The U.S. beef and pork industries stand to receive significant benefits from the phased elimination of import duties on their products by the Republic of Korea," he added. "However, we note that Korea is moving forward with initiatives to negotiate and sign free-trade agreements with Australia and the European Union, countries that are important exporters of beef and pork, and that the template for the beef and pork provisions of the agreements with these countries is modeled on its agreement with the U.S.

"For this reason, the competitive advantage to the U.S. beef and pork industries that should stem from the F.T.A. could be lost if passage of the agreement by the legislature of either country is delayed much longer," he concluded.

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