Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 5/22/18

 Editor's Note: The following members of NC's congressional delegation signed the letter: David Rouzer (7th), Mark Walker, (6th)  George Holding (2nd) Walter B. Jones (3rd), Richard Hudson (8th), Robert Pittenger (9th), Ted Budd (13th)

Nearly 50 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are asking the government of Thailand to remove what the lawmakers called unfair trade restrictions on U.S. agricultural products.

The group signed and sent a letter representing bipartisan support for the suspension of restrictions the Thai government has imposed on U.S. farm products, including several related to the importation of U.S. pork.

Co-sponsored by U.S. Reps. David Young (R-Iowa) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.), the letter notes that Thailand is the second-largest user of the Generalized System Preferences (GSP) program, which provides duty-free access to U.S. markets for products made in Thailand. The letter also contends that Thailand is not meeting eligibility standards for GSP participation, which currently is under review by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

The letter to Thai Ambassador Virachai Plasai follows a call from the National Pork Producer’s Council (NPPC) asking USTR to take a closer look at Thailand’s eligibility for the GSP program, which could affect the $3.9 billion worth of products from Thailand imported into the United States each year. NPPC cited several of Thailand’s import restrictions on U.S. pork, including a ban on any pork produced with ractopamine, essentially a “de facto ban on all U.S. pork.”

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