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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after agreement on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was announced:
“USMCA is a big win for American workers and the economy, especially for our farmers and ranchers. The agreement improves virtually every component of the old NAFTA, and the agriculture industry stands to gain significantly,” said Secretary Perdue.
USMCA will advance United States agricultural interests in two of the most important markets for American farmers, ranchers, and agribusinesses. This high-standard agreement builds upon our existing markets to expand United States food and agricultural exports and support food processing and rural jobs.
Canada and Mexico are the first and second largest export markets for United States food and agricultural products, totaling more than $39.7 billion food and agricultural exports in 2018. These exports support more than 325,000 American jobs.
For the first time, the agreement specifically addresses agricultural biotechnology – including new technologies such as gene editing – to support innovation and reduce trade-distorting policies.
The American Feed Industry Association applauds the efforts made to reach a deal. Mexico and Canada respectively represent the USA's largest and second largest export markets for feed, feed ingredients and pet food. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) implementation, animal food exports to Canada and Mexico have almost tripled. While NAFTA has been a linchpin in the success of the feed industry for the past quarter-century, the USMCA provides enforceable sanitary and phytosanitary obligations that build upon World Trade Organization rights and obligations.
The three countries agree to strengthen disciplines for science-based measures that protect human, animal, and plant health while improving the flow of trade.
The House and Senate need to work diligently to pass USMCA by Christmas.
December 10, 2019 - Publication by 333 with information from USDA and AFIA
https://www.usda.gov/ and
https://www.afia.org/
