The US, Canada and Mexico have signed the USMCA trade agreement, to replace NAFTA.
Following the signing, American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said: “Today’s signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement continues the progress American farmers and ranchers have made since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994.
“Agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico increased from $8.9 billion to $39 billion under NAFTA. That boost provided important markets for farmers and ranchers whose productivity has only grown since the agreement was signed. USMCA keeps all those gains and adds improvements in poultry, eggs, dairy and wine. In every way, this new agreement is just as good, if not better than, the one that came before. We thank the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for all the hard work that went into this accord.
“As good as all this news is, farmers and ranchers still face retaliatory tariffs over steel and aluminum disputes with our North American neighbors and other trading partners. We urge the administration to redouble its efforts to come to an agreement on those outstanding issues so we can regain the markets we had not long ago.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new trade pact: “I have often said that we live in the best neighborhood on Earth – North America – and the signing of a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada helps cement our highly integrated relationship as nations. President Trump has fulfilled a promise, which many said couldn’t be done, to renegotiate NAFTA and improve the standing of the entire American economy, including the agriculture sector.
“The new USMCA makes important specific changes that are beneficial to our agricultural producers. We have secured greater access to the Mexican and Canadian markets and lowered barriers for many of our products. The deal eliminates Canada’s unfair Class 6 and Class 7 milk pricing schemes, opens additional access to U.S. dairy into Canada, and imposes new disciplines on Canada’s supply management system. The agreement also preserves and expands critical access for U.S. poultry and egg producers and addresses Canada’s discriminatory wheat grading process to help U.S. wheat growers along the border become more competitive.
“This is good news for American farmers and we now need Congress to follow suit and enact the necessary implementing legislation. I commend President Trump and our U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Lighthizer, for their perseverance, leadership, and hard work.”
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) released the following statement after the signing of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA): “Farmers, ranchers and agribusiness in general will benefit from a strengthened trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, and today President Trump brought our nation one step closer to realizing this important victory. There are several important wins for our producers in this deal, and I look forward to Congress swiftly approving the agreement in the new year.”