Meat Institute asks USTR to remove non-tariff trade barriers
Feedstuffs | 11 March 2025
Meat Institute asks USTR to remove non-tariff trade barriers
The Meat Institute is calling for the removal of non-tariff barriers to trade and for access to new markets for meat and poultry products. The comments were submitted March 11 in response to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s request for comments on unfair trade practices and non-reciprocal trade arrangements.
“The Meat Institute welcomes the opportunity to work with the Trump Administration to reassert U.S. leadership to advance U.S. meat, poultry, food and agriculture trade in a manner that revitalizes our farm communities and supports broad-based economic growth,” said Meat Institute president and chief executive officer Julie Anna Potts. “The Trump Administration has a unique opportunity to once again demonstrate American leadership in the global trade environment for the benefit of American workers and the U.S. economy. Policies, like those put forth in the America First Trade Policy Agenda, that seek to open markets and reduce trade barriers enable domestic companies, especially small- and medium-sized U.S. meat and poultry packers and processors, to more effectively plan production, make sourcing decisions and establish export processes.”
The following are key industry concerns explained in more detail in the comments:
- China continues to renege on commitments made in the U.S.-China Phase One Agreement.
- China’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. meat exports constrain growth.
- Despite progress, persistent regulations impede U.S. beef and pork exports to Taiwan.
- Opportunities to access growing markets in Southeast Asia are constrained by persistent trade barriers.
- Removing ongoing restrictions on beef, addressing other emerging concerns are necessary to fully implement the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.
- European Union and U.K. policies unduly restrict meat and poultry exports.
- Increasing establishment registration requirements risk undermining market access for U.S. meat and poultry exports in global markets, like Hong Kong.
The U.S. meat and poultry industries are the economic engine powering the agriculture sector. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, meat and poultry processing is a $227.9 billion industry. Meat and poultry packers and processors employ more than 532,000 workers, paying average hourly wages of $22.
In 2021, the meat and poultry industry produced 27.95 billion lb. of beef, 27.67 billion lb. of pork, 53.2 million lb. of veal, 138.4 million lb. of lamb and mutton and 50.4 billion lb. of poultry. Based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service trade multipliers, in 2021, U.S. meat and poultry exports contributed additional export activity of more than $44 billion, supporting workers, communities, producers and companies along the meat and poultry supply chain.
The Meat Institute represents the people and companies who make the majority of meat for American families, providing hands-on regulatory and technical expertise, proactive advocacy, unique convening power, collaboration within and beyond animal agriculture and sector-leading continuous improvement initiatives.
