In a letter sent to each member of Congress, NPPC pointed out the benefits of trade to the US economy, and the pork industry.

According to Iowa State University economists, pork exports, which in 2006 accounted for 15 percent of domestic pork production, generated 82,500 US jobs in the pork industry alone. A majority of the jobs are located in rural America. Overall, the US pork industry supports an estimated 550,000 domestic jobs, generates more than $97.4 billion annually in total U.S. economic activity and contributes $34.5 billion to the U.S. gross national product.

The bottom line for pork producers is that exports raise the price they receive for their hogs. The free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, Peru and Panama, when fully implemented, will raise US live hog prices per head by $10, $1.63, 83 cents and 20 cents, respectively.

“Pork exports have contributed greatly to the profitability of U.S. pork producers in recent years,” said NPPC President Jill Appell, a pork producer from Altona, Ill. “NPPC is urging Congress to support the trade agreements with these countries and thereby improve the financial livelihood of our pork producers throughout .”