On news that an agreement regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been reached, Alberta’s barley farmers are poised to reap the benefits of this landmark deal.
“The TPP will have a significant impact on the bottom line for Alberta’s barley farmers,” said Alberta Barley chairman Mike Ammeter. “It will provide unprecedented access to new and existing export markets for our world-class barley.”
As a province built on trade and free markets, Alberta’s agricultural economy will immediately feel the impact of the TPP. Alberta already supplies approximately half of Canada’s barley and over one-third of Canadian barley exports–numbers that will only increase under this new framework.
According to the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, upon implementation, the TPP is also expected to significantly reduce the tariffs and duties on beef and pork exports into Japan–as well as other TPP partners. This is one of many examples of the advantage this agreement will provide, as over 80 per cent of Alberta’s barley goes to feed production for livestock.
“You cannot emphasize enough how beneficial it will be to have access to over 800 million people across 12 countries,” added Ammeter. “The TPP is a big step to a more profitable future of our farmer members.”
Source : AlbertaBarley