Vetter to speak in Little Rock on Trans-Pacific Partnership
Fast facts:
- U.S. chief ag trade negotiator to speak at Bowen law school March 29
- Darci Vetter to discuss proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership
- Event is free, open to the public
(300 words)
(Newsrooms: with headshot of Vetter at www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/4967869703/sizes/l/)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The nation’s chief agricultural trade negotiator, Darci Vetter, will speak March 29 in Little Rock about the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country pact that if approved by Congress, would be the largest free trade agreement in U.S. history.
Vetter’s talk is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. in the Friday Courtroom of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law. It will be followed by a question-and-answer panel discussion that’s expected to include Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, and should wrap up at 3 p.m. The event is co-hosted by the National Agricultural Law Center, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a high priority consideration for agriculture in Arkansas and across the nation, and we are very fortunate to have Ambassador Vetter here to discuss TPP and its impact to the agricultural sector,” said Harrison Pittman, director of the National Agricultural Law Center. “It could be pivotal in states like Arkansas whose economies are driven by ag.”
Vetter is a strong advocate for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed free trade
agreement among 12 countries on the rim of the Pacific Ocean, with both economic and
strategic significance for the United States. The partnership contains measures to
lower trade barriers such as tariffs and establish an investor-state dispute settlement
mechanism.
Those included in the regional trade pact include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
Critics of the agreement have voiced concerns about environmental protections and intellectual property rights.
Vetter is a former U.S. Department of Agriculture deputy under secretary, who oversaw the department's international activities. She had key responsibilities in international trade negotiations and export assistance programs, and coordinated USDA's role in international food aid. She also played a leadership role in several international economic development and trade capacity building programs.
For more information about agricultural and environmental law, visit http://nationalaglawcenter.org/.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact the National Agricultural Law Center as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law provides a high quality legal education that equips students with the knowledge, skills, and ethics, not only to function as competent attorneys, public officials, and other professionals, but also to think critically about the law and legal institutions and to work for their improvement. Bowen is a community of scholars committed to professionalism, public service, and access to justice and is located in the heart of Little Rock, Arkansas' capital city.
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Media Contact: Harrison Pittman, director
National Agricultural Law Center
(479) 575-76402126
hmpittm@uark.edu
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