National Ag Organizations Relieved U.S. Will Remain in NAFTA

National Ag Organizations Relieved U.S. Will Remain in NAFTA

Farm Groups are breathing a sigh of relief, now that President Trump has decided not to withdraw the U.S. from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump assured the leaders of Canada and Mexico that the U.S. will stay in NAFTA for now, after earlier threatening to withdraw from the 23-year old trade agreement.

The decision announced by the White House to renegotiate NAFTA and not ditch it followed an uproar by farm groups and others over a possible withdrawal.

American Farm Bureau trade adviser, Dave Salmonsen says

Salmonsen: I think the ag community and people within the administration make that point strongly. I think other industry sectors also made the point strongly and Capitol Hill weighed in. You had senators and congressman also being both publicly and privately making the point that this was not the time to do this."                      

 

Salmonsen says he is in favor of modernizing NAFTA after a 90-day notification of Congress, but not withdrawal of the trade agreement.

NAFTA has effectively quadrupled U.S. ag exports to Canada and Mexico. For instance U.S. corn growers last year, exported $2.5 billion dollars of corn to Mexico, the top foreign market for US corn. Canada is also a top market.

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