WASHINGTON — The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the Meat Institute were two of 45 agricultural and business organizations to request a White House meeting to discuss advancing national security and the economy through comprehensive trade agreements.

The groups look to meet with the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Economic Council (NEC) in hopes of partnering on positive and proactive US trade policy.

The letter, sent to Jacob Sullivan, NSC director, and Lael Brainard, NEC director, on July 11, said, “now is the time for the administration to chart a course for future US trade policy that includes commercially meaningful negotiations on two-way trade with US allies and partners.” 

The groups offered several recommendations, including that US trade policy leaders recognize the benefits of negotiating preferential trade agreements. Policies should incentivize US companies to invest in and expand their national operations and workforces and ensure US producers can compete on an even playing field in export markets, the groups said.

They called for policy that strengthens US workforce competitiveness in the international marketplace.

“Despite the clear benefits of such trade agreements, negotiations have stalled in recent years, while other countries continue to establish the global rules of the road without US participation,” the letter said.

Not to be overlooked, the groups pointed out China has improved its efforts to negotiate new and update existing free trade agreements, including with some the United States’ closest allies.

“NPPC has been urging the Biden administration to open new and expand existing markets for US pork through comprehensive trade agreements that eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers to American products,” NPPC said in its latest capital update.

NPPC noted that US agricultural trade is vital to US farmers and the country’s overall economy. The US pork industry, in particular, depends heavily on the performance of exports. Last year, when producers shipped $8.16 billion of products to foreign destinations — which was a record amount — those exports added the equivalent of $63.76 to the price they received for each hog marketed.