Industry leaders representing food and agricultural value chains across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico joined forces in a letter this week urging trade representatives to renew and strengthen the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as the required six-year joint review approaches.
ASA joined nearly 160 other organizations on the historic trilateral letter, underscoring how USMCA strengthens the integrated North American agricultural markets and ensures food security.
“All three nations share the responsibility of protecting and strengthening this competitive advantage, which is essential not only to economic prosperity, but also to national security and regional stability,” groups state in the letter.
The letter was sent to Ambassador Jamieson Greer, with the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Canada-U.S. Trade Representative Dominic LeBlanc and Mexico’s Secretary of the Economy Marcelo Ebrard.
USMCA, which went into effect in July 2020, requires that the three countries meet on July 1 to review the agreement. All three countries must agree on a path forward, which could mean extending the agreement for another 16 years, terminating the agreement, or entering a period of annual consultations. Agricultural organizations from all three countries are pushing their governments to uphold and strengthen the agreement to provide certainty needed in today’s challenging economic times.
Mexico remains one of the top export markets for U.S. soy, while Canada is a key partner in the integrated North American agricultural economy. ASA has urged USTR to pursue a full 16-year renewal of USMCA while preserving duty-free market access, science-based trade rules, biotechnology provisions, and strong dispute resolution mechanisms.
