Meat Institute provides more comments to USTR

The Meat Institute submitted comments to the US Trade Representative (USTR) for the 2025 National Trade Estimate Report.

The trade association called for an ambitious and comprehensive trade policy agenda that would be paired with removing tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote the growth and stability of the meat and poultry industry.

“The resilience of the US meat and poultry industry is inextricably linked to US trade policy and attendant initiatives that foster US meat and poultry export growth,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer for the Meat Institute. “However, the industry’s export potential remains limited by unjustified sanitary barriers, prohibitive tariffs and tariff rate quotas, and onerous registration and approval requirements for exporting facilities, among other impediments.”

The essential point that the Meat Institute wants the federal government to highlight would be China’s continuing to renege on commitments made during the US-China Phase One Agreement. The association stated that retaliatory tariffs remain on US meat exports to China and must be discontinued.

“The Meat Institute recognizes the diversity of industries and sectors that are impacted by China’s specious policies and understands the US government’s interest in addressing those legitimate concerns,” the trade association wrote. “However, we continue to respectfully encourage USTR to work to remove these tariffs, the brunt of which has been borne disproportionately by the US agricultural sector and meat and poultry industry.”

Meat Institute also wants USTR to remain proactive in addressing foreign animal diseases, which is integral to preserving trade and business continuity.

Another key priority listed by the Meat Institute was securing more beef access to Australia.

A vital market that continues to garner attention from US meat companies is the removal of restrictions on beef and other emerging concerns to fully implement KORUS (US-Korea Free Trade Agreement). An update to the agreement was revised in 2018.