U.S. dairy exporter pushes for TPP deal acceptable to Congress
Japan Times, Tokyo
U.S. dairy exporter pushes for TPP deal acceptable to Congress
23 September 2015
JIJI/WASHINGTON – Japan and other nations need to open their dairy markets further to hammer out a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal that is acceptable to Congress, Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, suggested.
“If Japan, Canada, New Zealand want an agreement that gets passed, that is accepted by the Congress, then I think they have to listen carefully to what is being asked,” Suber said in a recent interview.
Noting that “there are not so many (unresolved issues),” Suber expressed his belief that it is possible for the 12 nations involved in the talks to reach a broad agreement at the ministerial meeting expected to be held in Atlanta later this month.
“It really depends upon those countries. It is not for the United States to say we will sacrifice to get a final agreement,” he said. “That used to be the way. Those days are gone.”
On Japan, Suber said, “Despite Japan’s increasing reliance on imports, especially butter, there still is a hesitancy to liberalize to really meet the market needs.”
He also criticized Canada for “resisting its promise to be ambitious.”
Suber urged New Zealand to take a realistic approach to the negotiations, after the country demanded that other TPP nations drastically open their markets to dairy product imports.
“If it is unfortunate that they (New Zealand) don’t meet their goal, they can either accept that lower goal or not participate,” he said. “That is every country’s choice.”
Disagreements over tariff removal or reduction for dairy products were one of the factors that prevented a broad TPP deal from being struck at the previous ministerial meeting, held in Hawaii in late July.
