WASHINGTON – Humane Society International, the international arm of The Humane Society of the United States, is urging U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to consider the animal welfare implications of various international trade issues under his purview.
In a meeting with Ambassador Portman yesterday, HSI President Patricia Forkan discussed a number of topics, including the current agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organization and their effects on animal welfare, the efforts of the United States to curb over-fishing by reducing government subsidization of fisheries industries throughout the world, and the groundbreaking efforts of HSI to develop Trade Capacity Building and technical assistance projects throughout Central America.
"We applaud Ambassador Portman for recognizing the impact that these important trade negotiations have on animal welfare and we look forward to working with him on these issues in upcoming Free Trade Agreement negotiations," Forkan remarked.
In the meeting, Forkan continued to press Ambassador Portman to include so-called "animal welfare payments" in the current round of WTO agriculture negotiations. According to Forkan, such payments would qualify under WTO rules as "Green Box," or non-trade distorting subsidies, and would include payments to farmers and ranchers to help offset the additional costs of implementing higher animal welfare standards.
In addition, Forkan thanked Ambassador Portman for taking a leadership position on the issue of eliminating fisheries subsidies at the WTO. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 75 percent of the world's fish stocks are currently either overexploited, fully exploited, significantly depleted or recovering from overexploitation. Fisheries subsidies given by foreign governments, according to Forkan, contribute to this problem by encouraging over-fishing, over-capacity and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing throughout the world's wild fisheries. Curbing these subsidies by using WTO rules will be a giant step forward on preserving the world's fisheries for future generations.
Furthermore, Forkan expressed HSI's support for the ongoing efforts of the United States and Indonesia to combat illegal logging and the associated illegal trafficking in wildlife. The continued illegal destruction of forests in Indonesia and the trafficking in animals living in these forests must be stopped. In order to achieve this objective, however, Ms. Forkan noted that it will take vigilance on the part of both the governments of the United States and Indonesia to end these destructive practices.
Finally, Ms. Forkan discussed with Ambassador Portman the groundbreaking work of HSI and its Central American affiliate, the Global Alliance for Humane Sustainable Development, which have been organizing and operating Trade Capacity Building and technical assistance programs throughout Central America for the past three years. Some of these programs include helping countries improve enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect rare animal species from poachers and environmental degradation; assisting livestock and pork producers to make their industries more humane, safer, and environmentally-friendly; and working with a private company and small shade-grown cacao farmers in Central America to obtain organic certification for export to the United States, while at the same time preserving needed habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife.
Ambassador Portman recognized the importance of HSI's Trade Capacity Building projects to help countries implement their obligations under the Environment Chapters of Free Trade Agreements with the United States.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 9.5 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at www.hsus.org.
