[CTC] Vilsack: TPP text to be released within 30 days

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Vilsack: TPP text to be released within 30 days

By Adam Behsudi, POLITICO
10/06/2015 04:13PM EDT

The text of a finalized Trans-Pacific Partnership deal will be released to the public within the next 30 days, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a call with reporters today.

"I think it's fair to say agriculture is a winner in this agreement and we're going to do everything we can to make sure folks understand the historic nature and historic opportunity this represents," he said in the call, which was held after a meeting hosted earlier in the day between President Barack Obama and agriculture industry leaders.

On the call, Vilsack promoted tariff cuts that he said would touch almost every commodity group and regulatory agreement on issues like sanitary and phytosanitary standards. The agreement will also include a special biotechnology annex in which countries agree to use "science-based" determinations with respect to the import of products. The agreement will promote transparency in biotech regulatory processes and advocate the TPP countries "engage in discussions" on appropriate thresholds for low-level presence.

Vilsack said U.S. dairy producers would have increased access in Canada and Japan over the next 10 years for products like cheese, milk powder and fluid milk. In Canada, U.S. producers would be able to sell more yogurt, which Vilsack touted as a "value-added proposition" and one that would spur innovation in those types of products. The access Canada has agreed to offer TPP countries to its largely closed dairy market would represent roughly just 3.25 percent of its domestic milk production.

Additional access for New Zealand dairy producers was balanced against the gains U.S. dairy producers made in Canada and New Zealand, he said.

"The goal here was ... that there was not a disproportionate opening up of our market without a disproportionate opportunity to access markets that have been closed in the past," Vilsack said.
 
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