Statewide Iowa — (IARN) — The United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) has been a topic of discussion for over a year and a half. The past year we have all been asking when it was going to move through the Congress. Now, with House Democrats negotiating a few articles of the trade pact, it seems it could be voted on in the House by Thursday. Many in the agriculture sector are pleased to see it finally move.
Officials from all three member nations of USMCA approved revisions negotiated to the agreement and the updated version was signed December 10th in Mexico City.
Dan Halstrom is the president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). He says even though pork, beef, and lamb are already entering Mexico and Canada duty-free, having this agreement solidifies our trade relationship going into the future.
Halstrom says Mexico’s 20% retaliatory tariffs caused us to not only lose a market share, but it was also a hit to our reputation.
Halstrom thanks the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Trade Representative for “not giving up and finding common ground.”
For more on this story, including audio with Dan Halstrom, CLICK HERE.
Story and image courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
