The White House said last Sunday that a trade deal “that will lead to a substantial reduction in tariffs and non-tariff barriers across the board” between Washington and Tokyo is closer, following talks over the weekend on the sidelines of the G-7 Summit in France.
Although details have yet to be released, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the preliminary agreement is three-fold, addressing industrial tariffs, agriculture and digital trade.
“This is a tremendous deal for the United States. It’s a really tremendous deal for our farmers,” said President Donald Trump in statements on Sunday, adding that the negotiations are “done in principle.”
U.S. poultry and egg organizations on Monday welcomed the announcement of the deal, an achievement that stands to benefit the industry.
“Frozen chicken, turkey, and processed egg products will receive favorable tariff reductions enabling our products to compete more effectively with those of countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), National Chicken Council (NCC), National Turkey Federation (NTF) and United Egg Producers (UEP) said in a joint statement issued Monday.
“While this is just the first stage of a bilateral agreement, it is welcome news and we would like to thank President Trump, Secretary Perdue and Secretary Lighthizer for their work negotiating trade deals that stand to benefit U.S. poultry and egg products.”
Japan is the leading market for U.S. egg product exports, and the second-largest market for U.S. turkey exports. Japan also is a very promising market for U.S. chicken companies that are willing to provide the specific chicken cuts that Japanese buyers are seeking.
