from United Press International

WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) — An anti-globalization lobbying group in Washington says pending trade agreements will make imported food safety problems worse.

The report by Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch division says proposed NAFTA expansions that will increase seafood, meat and other imports undermine the ability of Congress to ensure the safety of imported food.

“This is a trade problem that is not just about China, but rather goes to a trade model that prioritizes increasing the volume of traded food over safety,” Global Trade Watch director Lori Wallach said Wednesday in a news release.

The report said nearly $65 billion in food is imported annually — almost double the value imported when NAFTA went into effect.

“In 2005, the United States, formerly known as the world’s bread basket, became a net food importer for the first time, with a food deficit of nearly $370 million,” the report said.

Bill Bullard, chief executive officer of the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, said U.S. farmers and ranchers will be locked into a competitive disadvantage that will continue to erode rural communities that are dependent on the U.S. cattle industry.