Cattle raisers meet with officials in D.C., urge passage of trade agreements

Members of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) met with officials at the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) office to urge the administration to immediately send the pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea to Congress for ratification. “The Texas beef industry has undergone an unprecedented year of bad weather including record-setting droughts and devastating wildfires,” said Joe Parker Jr., rancher and TSCRA president. “One sure way to help the industry recover is to pass these trade agreements. Doing so will allow American products to finally gain ground in markets where our competitors have been capitalizing. These agreements will also create thousands of jobs that Americans desperately need without costing taxpayers a single dime.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for every $1 billion worth of agricultural goods exported, approximately 8,000 jobs are created. According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the 3 pending agreements would generate nearly $2.5 billion in additional exports and about 20,000 jobs. TSCRA also supports the re-authorization of the trade promotion authority, a fast-track approach that gives USTR more flexibility to negotiate trade deals...more