KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 13 — American farm groups and lawmakers have lauded the Malaysia–United States Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) that was seen as benefiting the US agricultural and food sector particularly.
The House Committee on Ways and Means – the oldest and a very powerful committee of the US Congress – said ART, as well as another US reciprocal trade agreement with Cambodia, “tear down” significant tariff and non-tariff barriers that have purportedly denied fair treatment to US agricultural and industrial exports.
“President [Donald] Trump continues to show the world that America is serious about rebalancing trade in favour of American farmers, manufacturers, and workers,” said House Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith in a statement after both trade agreements were signed on October 26.
“The Agreements on Reciprocal Trade that were signed with Cambodia and Malaysia eliminate virtually all tariffs on US exports, giving American producers unprecedented access to these fast-growing markets.”
Besides signing trade pacts with Malaysia and Cambodia last month, the US also reached Frameworks for Agreements on Reciprocal Trade with Thailand and Vietnam.
US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said these four deals opened up new markets in Southeast Asia for American farmers and ranchers. “Together, we’re ushering in a New Golden Era for American Agriculture!” she posted on X.
Meat: Pork, Beef, Potential For Progress On Halal Certification
The US Meat Export Federation (USMEF) noted that Malaysia has agreed to reduce the 15 per cent tariff on pork sausages to 10 per cent on entry of ART into force, as well as to immediately eliminate the 10 per cent tariff on “other” sausages.
Malaysia’s 10 per cent tariff on other processed pork products also goes immediately to zero, according to a fact sheet by USMEF.
“Most importantly, Malaysia is expected to eliminate its plant-by-plant approvals and onerous questionnaires and registration processes. If Malaysia carries through with the agreement, it will accept the FSIS MPI directory, meaning all US plants are eligible.”
ART compels Malaysia to recognise US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) oversight and accept the FSIS Meat, Poultry and Egg Product Inspection (MPI) Directory as the official list of US establishments eligible for export to Malaysia.
“There is also language on halal, suggesting the potential for progress on those issues,” said USMEF’s fact sheet, referencing the text in ART.
Article 2.9: Halal Certification for Food and Agricultural Products Malaysia shall allow any US Halal certifier designated by Jakim as meeting Malaysia’s Halal requirements, to certify food and agricultural products as Halal for importation into Malaysia without additional requirements.
“USMEF greatly appreciates USTR’s (US Trade Representative) tireless efforts to address both tariff and non-tariff barriers that have kept the US as a minor supplier of red meat to the Asean region,” said USMEF president and CEO Dan Halstrom in a statement.
“With the US beef industry currently lacking access to China, improved access to Southeast Asia is desperately needed to provide competing bids for beef cuts that are popular in Asia, but not demanded by American consumers.”
USMEF cited exports of short plate, chuck short rib, rib fingers, omasum, and other such items.
For US pork, exports have been the driver of industry growth, namely feet, stomachs, picnics, brisket bones, and bone-in hams.
“The Asean region is more critical than ever as an alternative market to China, especially for pork variety meats. US beef and pork hold only minor import shares in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia due to the combination of tariff and non-tariff barriers. The growth potential is significant when these barriers are addressed through President Trump’s agreements,” said USMEF.
The US’ National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) praised the Malaysia-US ART in particular, describing the trade deal as having “enormous” economic potential for America’s 60,000 plus pork producers.
“America’s pork producers are grateful to President Trump for increasing market access for US pork to Malaysia, a country that has been importing pork despite limited plants being eligible for export,” said NPPC president Duane Stateler in a statement.
“More than 25 per cent of US pork production is exported, so producers count on exports to help keep their farms afloat, especially in times of uncertainty.”
Like USMEF, NPPC noted that the deal with Malaysia will open access to all US facilities included in the FSIS MPI directory; will not impose additional product or facility registration requirements; and will ensure acceptance of the standard FSIS export certificate.
“Moreover, Malaysia has agreed to recognise the US protection zone for African Swine Fever (ASF) within 15 months of signing the deal and complete a regionalisation deal,” said NPPC.
According to NPPC, US pork exports to Malaysia hit record levels of over US$24.5 million (RM101.2 million) in 2024, a significant amount given that only eight US plants are currently eligible for export. Exports to Malaysia increased over 1,700 per cent in the last five years.
Malaysia Confidence In US Poultry And Eggs
The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) said the US’ “landmark” deals with Cambodia and Malaysia will significantly expand opportunities for American agricultural exports, especially poultry and eggs, by reducing tariffs and removing long-standing non-tariff barriers.
“By removing tariff and non-tariff barriers, Cambodia and Malaysia are signaling their confidence in the safety and quality of US products,” said USAPEEC president and CEO Greg Tyler in a statement.
“This expanded access will allow us to better serve growing consumer demand in Southeast Asia while supporting American farmers, processors, and exporters at home.”
USAPEEC said it has long advocated for fair, science-based trade policies that enable American poultry and egg producers to compete globally on a level playing field.
The National Chicken Council (NCC) in the US similarly hailed the trade pacts with Malaysia and Cambodia.
“Knocking down trade barriers and opening new markets to free and fair trade are critical to the future success of American chicken exports and we commend the administration for the expanded access in Cambodia and Malaysia,” said NCC president Harrison Kircher in a statement.
Both USAPEEC and NCC noted that the US–Malaysia agreement opens new doors for American producers by streamlining regulatory processes, addressing technical trade barriers, and improving transparency in agricultural trade.
Elimination Of ‘Virtually All Remaining’ Malaysia Dairy Tariffs
The US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said in a joint statement that the Malaysia-US ART will deliver meaningful gains for US dairy exporters.
These include the “elimination of virtually all remaining dairy tariffs”, state of the art protections for common cheese names, assurances regarding dairy certification, recognition of the US dairy safety system, streamlining of facility registration requirements, and reinforcement of the vital importance of basing regulations on sound science.
“These agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia open new doors for US dairy exports in two dynamic markets and the frameworks with Vietnam and Thailand offer the promise of more to come,” said USDEC president and CEO Krysta Harden.
“By removing tariffs, addressing non-tariff trade barriers and cutting red tape, the agreements will make it easier for US suppliers to deliver the high-quality dairy ingredients and foods that Southeast Asia’s consumers increasingly demand.”
NMPF CEO Gregg Doud said the deals with Malaysia and Cambodia will ensure “fair access” to these two dynamic and fast-growing markets. “With these new agreements, the Administration has delivered big wins for America’s dairy farmers.”
According to USDEC, Malaysia is among the top 20 export destinations for US dairy products, accounting for US$118 million (RM487 million) in sales last year. US dairy exports to Cambodia totalled US$3 million (RM12.4 million) last year.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said the US’ deals with Malaysia and Cambodia, as well as frameworks for trade agreements with Thailand and Vietnam, promised to reduce tariffs on US dairy products, streamline dairy facility registration, clarify halal laws, protect common cheese names, and remove import licensing requirements.
“Today’s announcement promises to deliver improved access for US dairy in critical and growing Southeast Asian markets and will support the US dairy industry’s efforts to strategically diversify exports away from an over-reliance on China,” said IDFA president and CEO Michael Dykes in a statement last October 26.
“US dairy exporters have been strengthening relationships in these key markets and region, and we will immediately implement our plans to benefit from the new access announced today.”
According to IDFA, US dairy exports to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia reached almost US$335 million (RM1.4 billion) collectively in 2024. Malaysia is the fourth biggest dairy market in the region and the 14th biggest globally for the US.
“US dairy exports have shown consistent growth in Southeast Asia, and the area is consistently identified as a priority region for US exporters,” said IDFA.
‘Groundbreaking’ Protection For Common Cheese And Meat Names
The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) celebrated the release of a “groundbreaking” new model for protecting common food names in international trade, saying that both trade pacts with Malaysia and Cambodia contain “top of the line” protections for common food names.
“For far too long, producers relying on common names to market their products have faced protectionist attacks driven by the European Union to harm fair competition,” said CCFN executive director Jaime Castaneda in a statement.
“These new agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia finally fight fire with fire by directly protecting at-risk common names and establishing detailed due process safeguards for common names as countries consider geographical indication applications.”
The Meat Institute in the US similarly praised the Cambodia and Malaysia agreements that agreed with the US’ protections for common meat product names.
“We have worked closely with the Trump Administration to gain better access to growing markets in Southeast Asia and these agreements are a big win for our members,” said Meat Institute president and CEO Julie Anna Potts, referring to the four deals with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to the USTR’s fact sheet on the Malaysia-US ART, Malaysia has committed to groundbreaking provisions that will preserve current and future US market access for US cheese and meat producers who rely on the use of common names.
“This includes ensuring that market access will not be restricted due to the mere use of certain cheese and meat terms. Malaysia has also committed to only protect legitimate GIs (geographical indications) and to robust standards for transparency and fairness regarding the protection of GIs.”
