With the ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations, it most likely will be several more months before dairy farmers will know what to expect with our trading partners to the North and South. With Mexico being a vital market for U.S. dairy producers, a National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) spokesperson says a new agreement should “do no harm” …
Mexico Seeks Closing Seven NAFTA Chapters in Next Round
Trade officials in Mexico say they hope to close seven chapters in the next round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Talks, planned for Washington, D.C. next month. Mexico trade officials told Politico the goal of the next round is to close seven chapters that are 90 percent complete and include telecommunications, digital trade, technical barriers to trade, energy, …
Mexico, Canada Don’t Want Tariff Exemptions Tied to NAFTA
Mexico and Canada were happy to hear about President’s Trump’s willingness to exclude them from tariffs on steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. However, they expect any talks about a possible permanent exemption to take place outside of the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. Politico quotes the Mexican Economy Ministry in a release that says, “The process of …
Trump Tells Canada he wants “Fair” NAFTA Deal
President Donald Trump told Canada he wants a fair North American Free Trade Agreement. Speaking over the phone earlier this week to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump said he supported an agreement that is “fair to all three countries,” adding that the current deal leaves the U.S. with a trade deficit, according to Politico. The conversation came shortly after …
Grain, Dairy Markets Worried About Trade War
Analysts are saying that President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports could be hard on farmers. Farm Journal’s Ag Web Dot Com points out that, while Trump hasn’t officially imposed the tariffs, the decision doesn’t have the support of his entire Cabinet and has raised eyebrows all over the world. Jeff Harrison of Combest, Sell, and …
NAFTA Round Seven Wrapped Up Monday and Facing More Questions
The seventh round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) wrapped up Monday in Mexico City. The three countries have taken some incremental steps toward agreements on some of the lower-level issues. However, trade negotiators and almost anyone else interested in the NAFTA negotiations acknowledged that the looming threat of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum …
Agri View: What Is Going on with NAFTA?
Everett Griner talks about what is going on with NAFTA, and why, in today’s Agri View. What is Going on with NAFTA You know it is hard to understand what is going on with NAFTA. Mexican farmers, Canadian farmers and American farmers, want to keep it strong and stable. Our secretary of agriculture himself said that the loss of NAFTA …
USTR Wants Renewal of Trade-Promotion Authority
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) says it plans to ask for a three-year extension of trade-promotion authority in order to negotiate new trade deals. Robert Lighthizer says those discussions could be with Japan, Vietnam, and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership if they’re interested. Politico quotes Lighthizer as saying, “The Trump administration will aggressively negotiate trade deals …
Hatch: Congress Will Act on NAFTA Withdrawal
Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch weighed in this week on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. The Senate Finance Committee Chair says Congress will intervene if President Trump follows through on his threat to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement. He says, “We’d probably work hard to pass NAFTA, hopefully by a veto-proof vote, because it’s very important, …
Pressure Mounting in Mexico for NAFTA Round Seven
A report from Politico says the outcome of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks in Mexico could hinge on U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The question is whether Lighthizer and the administration will be willing to work with some of Canada’s recent offers and others that Mexico will likely make this week. Speaking of Mexico, the planned meeting …