June 7, 2017
North American Free Trade Agreement renegotiation continues to be top news, with Sonny Perdue choosing Canada as his first international trip as agriculture secretary. He met with Canada’s Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay and other officials in Toronto to discuss dairy distress. During the meeting, Secretary Perdue says he told the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food what he thinks of Canada’s Class 7 dairy pricing policy.
U.S. agriculture groups say the Canadian policy has resulted in a price advantage for Canadian producers and nearly a total cutoff of U.S. ultra-filtered milk going into Canada’s cheese making industry.
Secretary Perdue says the conversation was not a negotiation, but rather a laying out of the issues.
He also engaged in discussions on other issues such as Canadian feed grading of importing wheat. He participated in events in Toronto which included an agriculture and food related conference and a trade show featuring U.S. goods.
MacAulay reacted to Perdue’s visit saying, “I’m confident that we can reinforce this relationship in a balanced manner, allowing us to boost farmers’ bottom lines and create good, middle-class jobs on both sides of the border.”
For more information on the renegotiation visit, usda.gov.