U.S. farmers and ranchers are set to have more market access to Canada and Mexico with the official implementation of the new North American Trade Deal.
Lawmakers are celebrating the implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement after years of work. Representative Jim Costa highlighted the bipartisan effort to support trade.
“Trade agreements, like other difficult pieces of legislation, only happen when you have bipartisan efforts that come together, and so consequentially we now have enforcement mechanisms in place with USMCA that we will determine whether or not if they are structured in a way to settle disputes and build on that trade,” he said.
Wisconsin’s Ron Kind says that the work is never truly done.
“I was getting frustrated that it was taking long after the signing of the agreement that we could finally implant it and start realizing the benefits of USMCA, the work doesn’t stop when you sign an agreement, it’s only really just beginning,” he said. “We have work to do as far as oversight and compliance.”
Both Congressmen agree that American farmers are the best at what they do.
“If we can trade fairly with a level playing field, as we like to say.....American agriculture, I think, can compete on any playing field,” Costa said. “The farmers throughout our country are among the best in the world at growing crops.”