The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday to examine the status of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) one year after the trade pact started. Canada's inadequate implementation of new market access for U.S. dairy, Mexico's foot-dragging on agriculture biotech approvals, and the lack of a chief agriculture negotiator nominee were some of the key ag-related issues.
The U.S. dairy industry has expressed exasperation at what they charge is a lack of Canada implementing the dairy provisions in the USMCA that were supposed to bring more market access for U.S. dairy products into Canada.
And the issues aren't just with Canada. Another big concern among lawmakers and the ag industry is Mexico's lack of action on biotech crop approvals -- despite USMCA provisions requiring the approvals process to be science-based.
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) President and CEO Michelle McMurry-Heath told lawmakers the failure of Mexico to approve several new GMO crop varieties has no basis in science, calling the situation "particularly disturbing to not only our innovative agricultural businesses, but also to the investors that really support their work."
So far on the agriculture front, dairy is the only case pursued by the U.S. under USMCA procedures, but pressure is clearly rising on the key GMO issues with Mexico.