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ACTION ALERT:
Stop the National Pork Producers Council from Using the US-EU Free Trade Agreement to Attack Animal Welfare Standards
If you aren't sure what fighting free trade agreements has to do with defending animals, read these comments from the National Pork Producers Council on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a free trade agreement under negotiation between the US and the European Union:
"In order to achieve the same outcome for U.S. pork with the EU that the U.S. has reached with all other FTA partners – complete open trade –EU import duties on pork must be eliminated and all non-tariff barriers, including sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) restrictions, must be removed. Furthermore, U.S. negotiators must avoid introduction into the negotiations of other potential non-science based proposals by the EU that could, if implemented, act as major impediments to trade (e.g., animal welfare measures)....
A full recognition of equivalence by the EU has been a long sought, but elusive, U.S. government and U.S. meat industry goal. An EU equivalence commitment under the TTIP should be broad enough to ensure acceptance of existing U.S. SPS practices, and forward leaning in nature, to ensure that the EU cannot negate market access negotiated through the TTIP by imposing new measures (for example, relating to animal welfare or newly emerging and unanticipated production technology developments)...
During the course of the TTIP negotiations, we expect that the EU may table other proposals that, if implemented, would act as serious obstacles to free trade. One example is animal welfare measures, where the EU has implemented measures in its domestic market, which if imposed on the U.S. pork industry, would compromise our ability to export under the TTIP. The imposition of EU animal welfare standards on U.S. pork producers would be inconsistent with WTO rules and should be a non-starter in the TTIP negotiations. The WTO agreements do not permit the imposition of import restrictions based on animal welfare concerns, and such an action would thus violate GATT Article III, Article XI and various provisions in the WTO SPS Agreement."
Source:
National Pork Producers Council Comments on the “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership"
What You Can Do
Read more about TTIP's threat to farmed animals in this formal comment submitted by Humane Farm Animal Care.
Call your Senators and Representative and urge them to oppose ANY legislation to Fast Track TTIP through Congress. You can find their contact info here. If Congress passes Fast track legislation, pro-animal legislators will lose the ability to amend language in the TTIP text that prohibits animal welfare regulation. Ask them for a reply in writing. Email their reply to info @ freetradekillsanimals . org (no spaces).
Thanks for taking action for animals!
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