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Seng Testifies Before House Ag Subcommittee on Value of Export Market Development Programs

Published: Mar 06, 2017
00:00 / 00:00

You may download the audio file here




The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture is currently conducting a series of subcommittee hearings in preparation for the next farm bill. Last week the Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture held a hearing titled, The Next Farm Bill: International Market Development. The primary focus of the hearing was to examine the benefits derived from the USDA Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program.

U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Philip Seng was invited to testify on the important roles MAP and FMD funding play in expanding global demand for U.S. red meat. Highlights from Seng’s testimony are included in the attached audio report.

More details from the hearing are also available from the USMEF website, and this House Agriculture Committee news release includes remarks from Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas), Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (R-North Carolina), full witness testimony and other hearing documents. An archived webcast of the hearing is also available.

TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: In preparation for the next Farm Bill, subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture are holding a series of hearings. The hearing of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee examined the value of USDA export market development programs. One of those testifying was U.S. Meat Export Federation President and CEO Philip Seng. We have highlights from his testimony in this USMEF report:

Philip Seng: The Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program have worked very well for the U.S. Meat Export Federation to develop new markets, displace our worldwide competition and defend American meat products' market share from aggressive competition throughout the world. The Market Access Program and its predecessor, the Targeted Exports Assistance Program and the Market Promotion Program, have been extremely strategic and successful export tools for the U.S. meat industry over the last 30 years. During this time the U.S. has made great advancements in market access, but while market access played a part in our export growth, market access alone does not guarantee exports. Many times we have seen markets open only to be confronted by consumers who are skeptical about our products or simply unaware of the products' safety and quality. We must dignify trade access with sound marketing programs, and market access program funds have allowed us to address these challenges. Together market access and marketing are a proven recipe for success in the international marketplace.

Joe Schuele: Seng was asked how red meat exports return value to livestock producers and meat processors.

Philip Seng: We look at the international marketplace like it's a mosaic, and as we look at different countries, what kinds of products will apply to these different countries and this is the export success that we have; we have a diversified portfolio going to almost 100 countries and maximizing the value of each cut, of each item that goes into these various markets and that's the beauty of the export market, every pound of meat that we export is sold for more in the international marketplace than it would be sold here.

Joe Schuele: For more on this hearing, please visit USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.