August 29, 2018

Mexico deal a good first step

Topic: Issues

August 28, 2018: The newly announced trade agreement with Mexico is a great first step in U.S. trade agreements.

Download the Trade deal with Mexico good first step mp3

Read the transcript:

To repeat the words of AFBF President Zippy Duvall, the agreement recently announced between the United States and Mexico regarding trade is a good start. However, we’re not finished there. We must now get Canada to come to the table and understand there’s things that need to be fixed, whether it be in the dairy provisions that are inequitable. Or the wheat provisions that are very inequitable to our wheat producers right here in North Dakota, or the many other restrictions and phytosanitary issues that place a barrier on trade.

It’s not just tariffs that place barriers on trade. Across the world, such things as VAT taxes – value-added taxes – phytosanitary requirements, quantity and quality disparities from one country to the next, all influence the cost to do business with other countries. The agreement between the United States and Mexico is an important first step. I think the logical next step is to get Canada to come to that table and make the final negotiations and the final agreement to complete the circle of the North American trade.

Then, obviously, the focus is on China, and not only China, but other, new and emerging markets to open up a bigger market share for American farmers and ranchers and the great food products that we grow.

NDFB was very involved at different levels, providing information to lawmakers and to the Administration, sitting in on meetings, whether it was going to the White House or attending those meetings when those officials came to North Dakota, and providing input of how trade affects North Dakota and the farmers and ranchers, here.

And that is the value of a membership in the most effective ag organization in the state: NDFB. It is that advocating. It is that providing the facts, and giving a helping hand when it comes to being able to lay out the issues that affect each and every farmer and rancher in our great state of North Dakota.