The United States, Canada and Mexico have reached an agreement on the renegotiated NAFTA, now formally known as the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to benefit American farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. While agriculture has generally performed well under NAFTA, important improvements in the agreement will enable food and agriculture to trade more fairly, and to expand exports of American agricultural products.

Robert McKnight, Jr., president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) issued the following statement upon the announcement of the trade deal:

“Trade is vitally important to cattle producers who, on average, send more than $2 billion in U.S. beef exports to Mexico and Canada each year. We are extremely pleased to hear the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will maintain the market access that has been so beneficial to U.S. cattle producers over the last decade. We look forward to swift approval by Congress and the certainty of a bright future with our trading partners.”

United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said a joint statement, “Canada and the United States reached an agreement, alongside Mexico, on a new, modernized trade agreement for the 21^st Century.

“USMCA will give our workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses a high-standard trade agreement that will result in freer markets, fairer trade and robust economic growth in our region. It will strengthen the middle class, and create good, well-paying jobs and new opportunities for the nearly half billion people who call North America home.

“We look forward to further deepening our close economic ties when this new agreement enters into force. 

“We would like to thank Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo for his close collaboration over the past 13 months.” 

Click here to read a fact sheet released by the office of the U.S. Trade Representative about the USCMA.