Texas Representative Kevin Brady wants people to have real conversations about the impact of international trade on the American cattle industry – as this week is World Trade Week and this month is American Beef Month. He says America has a great opportunity to open markets for U.S. beef by approving pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea – which he says would enable nearly 12-million metric tons of beef produced annually to reach consumers worldwide.

Brady says the approval of the FTAs has many benefits. The combined agreements would increase the sales of American products by at least 13-billion dollars each year – and the Panama FTA is expected to increase exports, lower the trade deficit and stimulate U.S. economic growth. Another benefit would be the U.S.-South Korea Trade Promotion Agreement – which would reduce South Korea’s current tariff on U.S. beef from 40-percent to zero over the next 15 years. Once fully implemented – that would mean 325-million dollars in tariff reductions for the U.S. beef industry.

Brady says now is the time for Congress and the Obama Administration to level the playing field for America’s beef industry. He says when the playing field is leveled and American ranchers can sell goods around the world – jobs are created. He emphasizes the importance of selling American as well as buying American. Brady notes that unemployment still sits around nine-percent and stresses the importance of getting Americans back to work. The American cattle industry employs more than one-million farmers, ranchers and businesspeople – and Brady says the pending FTAs would boost U.S. economic growth by 10-billion dollars while also creating more than 250-thousand jobs.