Environmental Regulation and Implications for Competitiveness in International Pork Trade

Environmental concerns linked to hog production are growing in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. New regulations controlling animal manure management are being imposed to address these concerns. This study determines that potential increases in U.S. and Canadian environmental regulation would have minimal effects on the relative competitiveness of pork exports for these countries. By contrast, more stringent European Union regulations have the potential to signif-icantly reduce EU competitiveness and contribute to the trend of increasing export market share for U.S. and Canadian pork products