Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Barbara Weisel has joined the roster of speakers for IDFA's Policy & Politics Conference, September 19-21, 2012. Weisel will focus on the importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the status of negotiations and the potential for expanding dairy markets in Asia and the Pacific Rim. Members interested in hearing how this important trade initiative will benefit the industry, as well as individual companies, won't want to miss this session.

The Pacific Rim is one of the largest and fastest growing markets for U.S. dairy exports. In 2011 alone, Pacific Rim nations imported more than $2 billion worth of dairy products from the United States, an amount that nearly tripled what they imported in 2009.

Weisel Is U.S. Chief Negotiator for TPP

Weisel joined the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in 1994 and was appointed to the position of Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific in 2004. She is the U.S. chief negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and also is responsible for developing and implementing U.S. trade policy relating to countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including work under Trade and Investment Framework Agreements and other initiatives with the region.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership is an ambitious multi-country trade negotiation that aims to open Asia and Pacific markets to American products, including dairy. It's currently being negotiated by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. Mexico and Canada have been invited to join the talks, and Japan has also expressed interest in participating.

The agreement's Asian-Pacific orientation and potential for expanding to other important dairy markets in the region make it an important vehicle for establishing a fair and efficient system of international trade for dairy products.

Read the full agenda for Policy & Politics and watch promotional videos here.

For more information, contact Patrick Crosson, IDFA assistant and registrar for meetings and educational services, at pcrosson@idfa.org.