(NAFB) — Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee’s Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee held a hearing to review the state of the U.S. livestock and poultry economies. Livestock industry witnesses were unanimous in their message to Congress—pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) now.
Here is John Zimmerman for the National Turkey Federation.
“Our number one priority is passage of USMCA. Our industry has always had a fantastic relationship with Mexico…and ratifying this agreement will only improve that bond.”
Holly Porter heads the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.
“The passage of USMCA is absolutely critical to the chicken industry…and we call on Congress to vote on this agreement, as soon as possible.”
This is Kelley Sullivan Georgiades with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.
“The most important thing this Congress can do for American ranchers, is to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. Mexico and Canada, combined, by 2-billion-dollars worth of U.S. beef products every single year.”
And here is David Herring with the National Pork Producers Council.
“USMCA preserves zero-percent pork tariffs in North America, Canada and Mexico…and both of those markets account for nearly 40-percent of all U.S. pork exports, and support 16,000 U.S. jobs.”
The industry witnesses also called for Congress to enact visa reform for year-round, instead of seasonal, guest workers to meet a farm and ranch labor shortage here. The Trump Administration has just proposed a new rule to modernize the H-2A ag guest worker program, in the absence of Congressional action.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasters