For the Week Ending October 5, 2018

NPPC this week praised the Trump administration for establishing a revised trade agreement that preserves zero-tariff access for U.S. pork to Mexico and Canada. The text of the agreement, which was sent to Congress late Sunday evening, has been designated as a “key vote” by NPPC to ensure that its members are informed about “yes” and “no” votes on the pact. This agreement, along with the recently signed revised agreement with Korea, provide welcome momentum for U.S. pork producers by preserving zero-tariff access for U.S. pork  to three of its top five markets. U.S. pork is currently on three trade retaliation lists that have placed 40 percent of total exports under punitive tariffs. NPPC continues to urge the administration to remove tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum imports so that country will lift its 20 percent retaliatory tariff on U.S. pork.

AGRICULTURAL GROUPS SUPPORT EPA INTERPRETATION OF ‘ADJACENT’

NPPC today submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) addressing how it calculates and captures emissions from agricultural facilities under the Clean Air Act. The EPA’s current position is that “adjacent” facilities should focus solely on geographical proximity when making emission source determinations under the Clean Air Act permit programs. In its comments, NPPC agreed with the current EPA definition of adjacent and said that “functional interrelatedness” should not be a factor in determining single sources of emissions under the act. NPPC said that defining “adjacent” facilities based on geographic proximity is the only way to consistently and clearly implement the rule.