International Trade Division

NPPC's International Trade division supports passage of trade legislation and the creation of responsible regulations that will provide export opportunities for the U.S. pork industry to remain competitive in the global marketplace. NPPC is at the forefront of expanding and maintaining markets for U.S. pork producers through free trade agreements such as the U.S.-Korea FTA, the WTO Doha Round negotiations and by reducing sanitary and technical barriers to trade. International trade issues pursued by NPPC include: leading an agricultural coalition for the passage of the Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea; lowering foreign tariffs to a level that will permit U.S. pork exports to be competitive; supporting science-based standard-setting policies within Codex; and removing non-tariff barriers to trade, such as non-science based sanitary restrictions.

International Trade Internship Responsibilities

The International Trade intern should expect a fast-paced, dynamic and challenging work experience by learning first-hand the involvement of a U.S. trade association in the public policymaking process. The international trade intern’s main responsibility is to assist in congressional and technical efforts to expand and maintain U.S. pork exports by completing research on domestic and international policies and regulations related to trade. The intern will be exposed to the development and execution of U.S. trade policy and will interact with Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The intern’s responsibilities will include, but not be limited to: researching pork export/import data; attending Congressional hearings and events to learn about international trade opportunities; and keeping up-to-date on international trade and agricultural topics by sending daily news clips.

Required Skills

The ideal candidate for the international trade intern position will have:

• Upper classman status or equivalent work experience at the time of the internship.
• Experience with Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Familiarity with Internet research.
• Basic comprehension of agricultural policy and international trade issues.
• Excellent oral and written skills with the ability to summarize and communicate efficiently.
• Self-motivation and ability to multi-task on a variety of tasks.
• Future career interest in working in the U.S. agricultural industry.