The National Pork Producers Council has sent a letter to US Trade Representative Michael Froman and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack asking America’s TPP negotiators to insist Japan eliminate its tariff system for pork. NPPC President Dr. Howard Hill says Japan’s tariff system or Gate Price is associated with a history of fraud and criminal activity.
Hill says while the tariffs need to go away it’s possible to phase in their elimination.
Japan is the number one export market for U.S. pork which shipped nearly $ 2 billion worth of products to the island nation in 2013.