President Trump today signed into law the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which, once implemented, will provide much-needed certainty for U.S. pork producers. National Pork Producers Council president David Herring attended today's signing ceremony, as well as seven other NPPC board members: Scott Hays (Missouri), Dale Reicks (Iowa), Duane Stateler (Ohio), Lori Stevermer (Minnesota), Kraig Westerbeek (North Carolina), Terry Wolters (Minnesota) and Russell Vering (Nebraska).

"USMCA provides U.S. pork producers with certainty in two of our largest export markets and we thank President Trump and his administration for making USMCA a top priority," says Herring, a hog farmer from Lillington, N.C. "We look forward to implementation of a trade deal that preserves zero-tariff pork trade in North America."

In 2018, Canada and Mexico took more than 40% of the pork that was exported from the United States and a similar volume is expected in 2019. U.S. pork exports to Canada and Mexico support 16,000 U.S. jobs.

"With USMCA now signed into law, NPPC is focused on another top trade priority for U.S. pork producers: unrestricted access to China," says Herring. "We believe that pork will be the litmus test for China's compliance with its phase-one purchase commitments to the United States. We urge China to eliminate the 60% punitive tariffs and other restrictions on U.S. pork exports. Tariff elimination would more than double annual U.S. pork sales, generate 184,000 new American jobs and reduce the overall trade deficit with China by nearly 6%, all within the next decade."

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