WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD-TV) — Iowa’s congressional delegation has sent a letter to the White House in an effort to preserve the state’s pork industry as USMCA negotiations continue.
The group says terminating a deal with Mexico threatens pork producers and should be kept in mind as the administration negotiates. In the six years of USMCA, pork exports to Mexico have more than doubled.
The delegation also claims Mexico retaliated against the U.S. pork industry after the administration terminated the Tomato Suspension Agreement with the country, causing tomato prices to rise nearly 7%.
The negotiations are also being closely watched by agricultural manufacturers.
Jonathan Szucs with Advanced Superabrasives Inc. says his company has been following USMCA developments since the summer, with Mexico appearing to come out ahead.
“We see them as the nearshore winners of the global uncertainty trade policy that we have right now, which is a push from Asia ever since COVID into closer to North America into back into the United States. But if not back in the United States, then, the question is where? Where are these companies going? The big answer is Mexico. Mexico is the big winner.”
Szucs says it is a much different story in Canada, claiming leaders there walked away from a done deal.
“The businesses that we work with in Canada, whether it’s automotive, woodworking, aerospace, they have slowed down tremendously since Carney has walked away from the negotiating table. So we really see the opportunities right now in Mexico more than Canada, and that is where we’re focusing on our hiring, on our supply chain, shoring up our supply chain, and everything else has really been focused more on Mexico.”
Szucs says he believes a more permanent USMCA agreement will come after the midterm elections, but warns it likely will not be as favorable as ones in the past.
