More than 200 farm and food groups have come together to send a bipartisan letter to Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan; Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi; Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell; and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).  The letter encourages Congress to finish the work of approving TPP in 2016.

“If faithfully implemented, TPP will help level the playing field for U.S. exports and create new opportunities for us in the highly competitive Asia-Pacific region,” the letter says. “The TPP is critical to the livelihood of the U.S. food and agriculture sector because it will create conditions that encourage economic growth and increased employment in rural areas and throughout the supply chain.”

“Exports are fundamental to the success of the agricultural industry because 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside of the United States and 20 percent of U.S. farm income is from exports,” said the groups. “According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, TPP will boost annual net farm income in the United States by $4.4 billion.”

Click here to read the letter in full.