The White House faced immediate criticism with its release of the text of the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. “This agreement has been peddled to farmers and ranchers as a potential gold mine for farm exports. But as with other trade deals, these benefits are likely to be overshadowed by increased competition from abroad,” said the National Farmers Union, urging Congress to reject TPP.
“The TPP could be used to weaken systems that are supposed to keep us safe,” said consumer group Food and Water Watch. “It would let shippers challenge individual border inspection decisions, second-guessing U.S. inspectors and discouraging rigorous oversight of imported foods. It also encourages the use of private food safety certifications for imported food instead of government inspection, potentially relying on corporate assurances that our imports were safe.”
President Obama did not mention directly the farm sector or agribusiness in a blog posted on Medium, although the administration emphasized the benefits to agriculture when negotiations concluded nearly a month ago. “It’s the highest-standard trade agreement in history. It eliminates 18,000 taxes that various countries put on American goods,” said the president, a description that would include lower tariffs on agricultural goods. Farm exports consistently generate a positive balance of trade. For the most part, rural lawmakers are Republican and agriculture is an avenue for the administration to seek their support for TPP.