South Korean broiler producers oppose government push to join CPTPP

Broiler association calls for an immediate halt

South Korea’s broiler industry has urged the government to stop pursuing membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, arguing that further market opening could intensify pressure on domestic chicken producers.

In a statement issued on August 24, the Korea Broiler Association called on the government to suspend the accession effort because it had not reached an agreement with agricultural, livestock and fisheries organizations. Nongmin reported that the association is led by Chairman Moon Jung-jin.

The organization said South Korea’s broiler sector was already facing growing imports of chicken alongside higher feed and labor costs. In that environment, it warned, additional market access associated with CPTPP membership could seriously threaten farmers’ livelihoods and weaken the country’s domestic production base.

Imported chicken and costs drive producer concerns

The association’s criticism centers on the combined effect of import competition and production expenses. Its statement did not provide figures for chicken import volumes, domestic output, prices or cost increases. It nevertheless presented the rise in imported chicken as an existing source of pressure rather than only a possible consequence of CPTPP accession.

For broiler farms, greater exposure to foreign supply could affect the prices received by producers while feed and labor remain significant operating costs. The association argued that another round of market opening should not proceed before the government establishes concrete measures capable of protecting the broiler industry and the wider agricultural, livestock and fisheries sectors.

The group also rejected an accession process focused primarily on the economic benefits of expanding trade. It said agriculture, livestock and fisheries should not again be treated as sectors that absorb the costs of broader trade policy. The statement reflects concern that benefits and losses from accession may be distributed unevenly between industries.

Industry seeks consultation and impact disclosure

The Korea Broiler Association requested the creation of a substantive consultative body that would include agricultural, livestock and fisheries organizations. It also called for the transparent publication of expected damage by industry, allowing affected producers to assess the consequences before the government advances the membership process.

These demands place consultation, disclosure and mitigation measures at the center of the dispute. The association said the government should first prepare specific and effective policies to protect domestic broiler production and other primary industries. It characterized farmers and producer organizations as direct stakeholders whose participation is necessary for any socially accepted decision.

No government response, accession timetable or proposed support package was included in the material reported by Nongmin. The association’s statement therefore represents an industry warning rather than an announced change in South Korea’s trade policy or tariff regime.

Producers threaten coordinated action

The organization said it would respond forcefully alongside broiler farmers nationwide and other agricultural, livestock and fisheries groups if the government continued to pursue CPTPP membership unilaterally while disregarding their concerns.

The immediate issue is whether the government will broaden consultations and release sector-specific assessments before taking further steps. For producers, the commercial question is how any additional import competition would interact with rising feed and labor costs. For chicken suppliers and market participants, the debate creates policy uncertainty, but the source material does not identify any enacted change to current market-access conditions.