225 food and agricultural companies and trade associations sent a letter to Congress Monday calling for a swift vote on the Trans Pacific Partnership. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association was one of the groups signing the letter. NCBA President Tracy Brunner said it’s time to level the playing field for American cattle producers. Japan is American beef’s largest export market, and right now, American beef faces an import tariff that’s eleven percent higher than Australian beef, which is America’s biggest competitor in the marketplace. Upon TPP implementation, the tariff on American beef drops eleven percent right away, and continues to fall until in reaches a nine percent tariff rate. Brunner says every day TPP doesn’t pass results in lost dollars for American producers.