U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement helpful, says CPC

Oct 02, 2018

New trade agreement is beneficial for pork producers, industry reps say

Staff Writer

Farms.com

Members of the pork industry are content with new trade negotiations between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, a release from the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) said yesterday.

News of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the replacement to the North American Free Trade Agreement, comes as a relief for Canadian pork producers during their struggle with low market prices made worse by global market conditions.

Industry members recognize the significance of the new trade relationship. The North American market benefits by Canada’s partnership with the U.S. and Mexico. The partnership will enable producers across the continent to collaborate on industry issues like animal well-being.

“A new trilateral trade agreement is great news for Canadian pork producers,” said Rick Bergmann, chair of the CPC, in the organization’s release. “Lots of hard work has been put into reaching this important milestone and we congratulate all those involved in reaching the agreement known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).”

The CPC has participated in trade discussions throughout the renegotiation process. The industry group is satisfied that the USMCA agreement will not present new tariffs, and that it includes dispute mechanisms.

“We look forward to a stabilized pork market that will allow pork producers in Canada, the United States and Mexico to support one another in producing high-quality pork and contributing to growing the economy in their respective countries,” said Bergmann.

Ontario Pork echos the sentiments of the CPC, said Eric Schwindt, Ontario Pork chair, to Farms.com.

"We are pleased to learn that, in the new agreement, no new tariffs will be introduced. However, throughout these negotiations, our producers did suffer financial hardship and we look forward to working with the government to ensure that all commodities are treated fairly going forward," Schwindt said.

Issues or uncertainties in the market can send reverberations through the industry, Gary Stordy, director of government and corporate affairs with CPC, told Farms.com today.

"We're very pleased that the countries have been able to come to an agreement and relieve some of the uncertainty that really (impacts) producers on both sides of the border," said Stordy.

Updated Oct. 3, 2018.

National Pork Board and the Pork Checkoff photo, Des Moines, IA, USA photo

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

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Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.