Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 10/30/15

Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Thursday called for the chicken industry’s political support to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement passed in Congress. He also nudged the industry on a disaster assistance program in the wake of the recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Speaking here at the National Chicken Council’s annual conference, Vilsack touted the importance of the TPP to U.S. agriculture —participating countries represent 40 percent of the global economy and nearly 47 percent of U.S. agriculture trade — and urged industry members to start leaning on Congress.

He noted that historically Republicans have supported trade agreements and Democrats have opposed them. However, it’s more complicated now. Tea Party members oppose trade agreements, moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats support them and progressive Democrats oppose them.

“It’s going to be close. It’s not enough to send an email,” he said. “It’s not enough for the Chicken Council to send a letter. It’s going to take some personal attention,” he told the audience of poultry industry executives.

Vilsack also emphasized the importance of TPP as a mechanism for U.S. agriculture to “put a stake in the ground” in Asia, which in 15 years will be home to two-thirds of the global middle class.

The TPP agreement will be published and ready for viewing once the new Canadian government gets up to speed. While it’s been suggested that Congress could wait to take up the matter after the next presidential election, Vilsack warned that doing so could jeopardize the pact’s passage. He said it is important that Congress take it up as quickly as possible and hopefully pass it by early next year.

HPAI
As USDA continues to wrap up the cleaning and disinfection process from the HPAI outbreak that wreaked havoc on the poultry industry between December 2014 and this June, Vilsack suggested it is time the industry prioritized developing a disaster assistance program akin to the one that aids the livestock industry for inclusion in the next farm bill.

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