CAFTA countries can't afford Beef!!!!

[Oldtimer]

LEGAL/REGULATORY NEWS
CAFTA missed implementation date

by Pete Hisey on 1/2/2006 for Meatingplace.com




None of the Central American countries that are part of the Central American Free Trade Agreement has written, rewritten, repealed or implemented the laws necessary for implementation of the trade pact, and it missed its implementation date of Jan. 1. A spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office said the bitterly contested CAFTA will be delayed by at least a month, perhaps longer.

U.S. Democrats, who opposed the pact, pointed to the lack of movement by the Central American countries as evidence of a flawed policy. Of the six countries affected, all but Costa Rica have ratified the agreement, but none has taken any of the internal steps, including tariff removal, necessary for implementation.

Under the provisions of the pact, tariffs on U.S. pork and beef eventually would have been dropped altogether, a boon to the pork industry in particular. The poverty-stricken countries can't afford much U.S. beef, but there is a large market for pork variety meats in Latin American nations.
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I thought this part was very interesting...Heres a writer for a Packer industry publication now telling us just the opposite of what the Packers, AMI, USDA, NCBA, and all the Packer bought politicians were saying before CAFTA passed.....


Nice of NCBA to spend the cattlemens dollars to back Tysons pork production!!!!

 

[Oldtimer]

Heres another one that now says this was all about PORK...


Today 1/3/2006 4:14:00 PM


Jolley: Is CAFTA Dead?



The Jan. 1 implementation date for the Central American Free Trade Agreement has passed without action and little notice. Steve Norton, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative, confirmed the missed target date and suggested it will be delayed by a month — possibly longer.



According to CAFTA’s provisions, U.S. pork and beef tariffs would be dropped altogether, which was positioned to be good for the pork industry in particular as the countries offer a large pork variety meat market. Many in the beef industry expressed reservations about the program.



Those opposing CAFTA contend the Central American countries’ lack of action is evidence that it’s a flawed policy. Five of the six countries involved have ratified the agreement with Costa Rica the lone hold out. None of the countries moved forward to implement the agreement.

 

[frenchie]

Nice of NCBA to spend the cattlemens dollars to back Tysons pork production!!!!

Dick are you saying the NCBA corruptly misused cattlemans funds.. :?:

 

[Oldtimer]

Nice of NCBA to spend the cattlemens dollars to back Tysons pork production!!!!

Dick are you saying the NCBA corruptly misused cattlemans funds.. :?:

I guess its up to you to decide if it was corruptly misused...NCBA spent large sums lobbying for the passage of CAFTA and telling cattle producers that it would be a big boon to the cattle industry. R-CALF on the other hand took the position that it meant little to cattle exports, but could be detrimental by opening up a source for South American beef imports and a higher risk of disease and cheap meat entering North America....Now that its passed, the industry people are admitting that it will have little or no effect on beef exports and only be good for the pork industry..I guess only time will tell on whether the South American imports start coming in...

To me its just another in a long list of occurrences where NCBA leadership has sided with the Big Corporate Packer position over the cattle producers- and misled even their own members to benefit the packing industry...

Maybe its why I have a harder and harder time believing anything NCBA says...Years ago before the NCBA leadership sold out to the big corporate interests, I was one of their biggest supporters. They sold me on the importance of M-COOL and the fact we in the USA need to have an identity to our product--Then they flipflopped and backed the multinational packers efforts to kill any Country Of Origin Labeling and/or the idea of promoting US BEEF...

Whats good for the Multinational Corporate Packers is not always good for the grassroots cattleman- and lately NCBA has always seemed to take the side of the Corporate world....

 

[frenchie]

Nice of NCBA to spend the cattlemens dollars to back Tysons pork production!!!!

Dick are you saying the NCBA corruptly misused cattlemans funds.. :?:

I guess its up to you to decide if it was corruptly misused...

Dick...Just as I figured .....You roundabout slander the N.C.B.A

then backtrack ;-)

 

[Beef11]

Awww I'm Back. good to see things haven't changed. People presenting issues... .. . .