The U.S. will review Thailand's eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences, or GSP, trade program following a complaint from the domestic pork industry claiming that the Asian country pursues unfair import practices.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, said it has accepted a petition filed by the National Pork Producers Council, or NPPC, alleging that Thailand has failed to provide access to its market for U.S. pork and other products.
Under the preferential trade program, certain goods entering the U.S. are given duty-free treatment. The NPPC, which filed its petition on April 16, wants the government to withdraw or limit Thailand's benefits.
"Thailand for years has willfully denied equitable access to our products," said NPPC President Jim Heimerl in a statement.
According to the NPPC, Thailand imposes various restrictions on U.S. pork, including a ban on uncooked pork and offal products and a prohibition on imports of pork produced with the feed additive ractopamine.
Thailand also "rarely" grants import licenses for U.S. pork and charges excessive fees on the licensed imports, the NPPC further alleged.
The USTR said it will conduct a public hearing on the matter as part of the review process.
"The petition from the National Pork Producers Council raises important questions regarding Thailand's compliance with this criterion for GSP eligibility," Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish said.
In 2017, the U.S. exported just 31 metric tons of pork to Thailand, where a population of about 69 million consumes around 726,000 metric tons of pork every year, according to the NPPC.
