USMEF Represented on USDA Trade Mission to Peru, Chile

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is one of the agricultural organizations represented on this week’s USDA trade mission to Peru and Chile. The delegation, which is led by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, is currently in Lima, Peru, and will conclude its trade mission in Chile on Friday, March 18.

John Hinners, USMEF assistant vice president for industry relations, is part of the U.S. delegation. In the attached audio report, he explains that while Peru and Chile are participants in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S. beef and pork already have favorable access to these markets through previous free trade agreements. All U.S. red meat currently enters Chile tariff-free, which has helped both beef and pork exports gain traction in the market. Peru is a large destination for U.S. beef variety meat items such as tripe, hearts and livers, and these products will be tariff-free by 2018. All red meat exports to Peru will be tariff-free by 2020.

Jessica Julca (pronounced HULL-CUH), USMEF South America representative based in Lima, will also join the group for some portions of the trade mission, including a March 14 dinner showcasing U.S. red meat.


TRANSCRIPT:

Joe Schuele: The U.S. Meat Export Federation is one of the agricultural organizations joining U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for a trade mission to Peru and Chile. USMEF is represented by Assistant Vice President for Industry Relations John Hinners, who has more details in this USMEF report.

John Hinners: It’s certainly an honor when the U.S. government and the secretary of agriculture, Tom Vilsack, invites the ag groups to participate in one of its trade missions. South America has been one of the fastest growing world regions for U.S. exports of farm goods and farm commodities, so it’s exciting, it’s an honor to go out and promote U.S. red meats alongside with the Secretary.

Joe Schuele: Chile and Peru are members of the recently completed Trans Pacific Partnership, but Hinners explains that U.S. beef and pork products already have favorable access in these markets through previous free trade agreements .

John Hinners: When you look at the free trade agreements, certainly that’s been a huge win for U.S. agriculture. Chile, you know, we are tariff-free in that particular market right now. It allows us to really showcase our products in a light that we can compete at any level. Peru, they will be tariff-free in, I believe it’s year 2018. That’s a huge market for some of our variety meats such as hearts and tripe and so forth. Those cultures like those products and it allows us to sell products in a market at a higher value that we would receive here for some of those items. We’ve added additional staff into those markets working to promote the U.S. red meats. Jessica Julca, one of our staff members from Lima, Peru, has been very instrumental in helping us promote U.S. red meat throughout the region. I think we’ll have a great opportunity to showcase what Jessica has done, and also to share some vital information with the Secretary on some of our recent achievements in the market.

Joe Schuele: For more on the trade mission, please visit USDA.gov or USMEF.org. For the U.S. Meat Export Federation, I’m Joe Schuele.