The Trump administration
has officially notified Congress it intends to renegotiate the North
American Free Trade Agreement. Agriculture groups have reacted to the
news with caution. The National Pork Producers Council is urging the
president to make sure that tariffs remain at zero for pork traded
throughout North America. Tariff-free access to Canada and Mexico last
year were worth $799 million and $1.4 billion respectively. “Canada and
Mexico are our top export markets,” says NPPC President Ken Maschoff,
“and we absolutely must not have any trade disruptions.” U.S. Wheat
Associates and the National Association of Wheat Growers are also hoping
for caution in the upcoming negotiations. While the groups welcome the
chance to improve the agreement, they oppose changes that would limit
benefits to wheat growers, especially in the Mexican food processing
industries. American wheat imports began surging in Mexico after NAFTA,
and Mexico is now the largest buyer of American wheat. “I cannot
emphasize how important our Mexican customers are to U.S. wheat
farmers,” says Jason Scott, USW chair. The National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association is also urging the administration not to jeopardize gains
made in NAFTA. The National Farmers Union says the negotiations are a
chance to make NAFTA work better for family farmers and ranchers across
the country.
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