President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the TPP just three days after moving into the White House last year. Photo / AP
A powerful bloc of American farmers and food producers is turning up pressure on US President Donald Trump to re-engage with New Zealand and other Trans-Pacific Partnership countries so they are not left in a substantial trade disadvantage.
The US Food and Agriculture Dialogue for Trade, representing 95 per cent
of the US farming, ranching and food processing sector, painted a gloomy picture if they are left out of trade deals.
Trump pulled the US out of the TPP just three days after moving into the White House last year, but New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Canada and the remaining seven Pacific Rim nations pushed ahead with the TPP and are expected to sign the agreement in March.
"Once this happens, our sector will be placed at a substantial disadvantage, as other countries gain entry into these markets at substantially lower tariffs and under preferential terms," the group wrote in the letter.
"Given the downturn in US farm prices and profitability that already is hurting rural America, the timing could not be worse.
