The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging farmers and ranchers to make their voices heard when it comes to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. With Congress in recess and lawmakers talking with voters within their respective districts, Farm Bureau says farmers and ranchers need to tell their lawmakers the benefits of approving the trade agreement quickly.
“Now is the time for the people to talk to their representatives and senators about TPP. You’ll be seeing them back on your home turf, they can talk about what this means to agriculture in your state, and it’s a great time to visit about these issues.”
That’s AFBF trade specialist David Salmonsen. Other TPP member countries are working on the ratification process for the trade deal, emphasizing the need for the U.S. to act soon.
“I know that Japan is expected to take this up in September and will move ahead. Malaysia’s already worked on it, several of the other countries are working ahead. So, we’re right in there on a good time frame with the other countries. But if we don’t move ahead and they do, we’ll fall behind on this effort.”
Salmonsen warns that if the U.S. moves slowly, we may be left behind.
“The world of trade goes on. People will need goods, so we’ll be disadvantaged. So it’s not only an economic issue for us, but of course there is the broader issue of the entire Asia-Pacific region, whereby these countries are looking to the United States for leadership and if we’re not providing it, they’ll look elsewhere. That’s why we need to keep at it and get a vote on this and get this taken care of after the election.”