TPP good for local business

With 25 percent of our dairy powders sold in foreign markets, we at Commercial Creamery need high-standard trade policies like the Trans-Pacific Partnership to compete globally.

This election season, I frequently hear arguments that the TPP is not a good deal for the U.S. What politicians aren’t considering is that a trade agreement is a compromise between all parties: no one gets everything they want, but everyone is better off than they were before the deal. It is impressive that, even while compromising with 11 nations, the U.S. negotiated such a high-standard deal with the potential to significantly benefit Spokane businesses and residents.

The TPP would level the playing field for local processors, eliminating tariffs that artificially increase the price of our powders abroad. Perhaps more importantly, the TPP streamlines complicated food regulations we face in different countries: all partner nations agreed upon science-based rules to ensure safe trade and access to foreign markets.

Washington dairy processors and other local industries will benefit from the United States’ successful negotiation. This fall is a critical moment to contact your members of Congress to ask them to support high-standard trade like the TPP.

Mike Gilmartin

Spokane