Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the following statement today in support of President Obama's invitation to Mexico to join the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, pending successful conclusion of domestic procedures.

“I am happy to support President Obama's invitation to Mexico, our neighbor and second-largest export market, to join the TPP negotiations. I also join with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in recognizing that the TPP presents the most promising pathway to boosting trade across the Asia Pacific and to encouraging regional trade integration,” Vilsack says.

“Mexico understands that the countries negotiating the TPP agreement have set high standards and objectives, and that the United States intends to join TPP partners in completing a comprehensive, high-standard agreement that will include important new commitments on science-based and transparent sanitary and phytosanitary measures,” he adds.

“For decades, two-way agricultural trade between Mexico and the United States has supported American communities by creating good-paying jobs here in the United States,” Vilsack says. “Mexico's participation in TPP will allow U.S. agriculture to leverage existing supply chains, adding to the economic significance of a TPP agreement and ensuring that American agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation's economy."