WASHINGTON— A former president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) recently supported the renewal of the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), which expired in 2020.  

Randy Spronk, a pork producer in Minnesota, testified to the US House Committee on Ways and Means’ Subcommittee on Trade about how the GSP provided duty-free treatment to goods exported to the United States from beneficiary developing countries.

“NPPC supports the objective of the GSP program to offer opportunities for many of the world’s poorest countries to use trade to grow their economies and climb out of poverty,” Spronk said in his testimony. “NPPC believes promoting the economic growth and development of GSP recipient four countries is a good business proposition, because increased income and buying power in those markets will create future export opportunities for US pork producers. NPPC also views the GSP program as an essential trade enforcement tool that gives US trade negotiators leverage to address market access concerns. GSP-eligible countries are required to meet statutory criteria set by Congress.”

The association added that the United States can withdraw GSP benefits if they fail to meet those requirements. 

The US pork industry has used GSP to gain market access to countries such as Argentina and India. 

 Growing export markets remain important for US pork going forward. In 2022, $7.68 billion worth of pork was exported to more than 100 foreign destinations, according to the NPPC. 

Those exports supported approximately 155,000 US jobs, added $14.5 billion to the US economy and equated to approximately $61, or 25%, in value for each hog marketed in 2022.

 “We believe promoting the economic growth and development of GSP recipient countries is a good business proposition because increased income and buying power in those markets will create future export opportunities for US pork producers,” Spronk stated later in his testimony.