USSA Presents at T-TIP
The U.S. Sustainability Alliance (USSA) was one of the presenters at the stakeholders event of the 9th T-TIP round of negotiations in New York City on April 23rd. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) is a trade and investment agreement being negotiated between the United States and the European Union (EU).
The presentation was an excellent opportunity to highlight the importance and long history of U.S. environmental laws, conservation programs and innovative sustainable practices of U.S. producers and fishermen and women. The presentation was attended by the negotiation teams of the European Commission and U.S. government, as well as many other interested organizations and individuals.
Europe’s negotiators have to deal with lukewarm support for, as well as some opposition against, the T-TIP talks in Europe due to the perception that U.S. environmental and safety standards are not as strict as those in the EU.
Speaking on behalf of the USSA, Gene Philhower from the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), pointed out that U.S. agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors take sustainability very seriously, and have a history of environmental legislation and conservation that goes back more than a century – a fact about which most Europeans were unaware. The members of the USSA had ample evidence of their commitment to conservation and sustainability and were committed to making ongoing improvements.