Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 6/20/17



USDA chief Sonny Perdue and his counterparts from Canada and Mexico struck a collaborative and collegial tone in discussing upcoming talks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement  (NAFTA) following a tour of a port in Savannah, Ga.
Perdue, hosting Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Mexican Secretary of Agriculture José Calzada Rovirosa, told the media gathered at the Georgia Ports Authority that the relationships between the three NAFTA partners would depend on the personal relationships between the politicians.

“It’s important to establish personal relationships as we move forward on discussing the future of NAFTA,” Perdue said, adding, “We’ve set a tone of truth, trust and trustworthiness going forward.” Perdue noted that there have been many of changes in technology in agriculture in the last 25 years, setting the stage for the partners to discuss redefining future NAFTA goals and expectations.

MacAulay added that the three nations are “connected by trade,” with more than $85 billion in agriculture and food trading between the United States, Canada and Mexico every year. Noting that consumers benefit from having abundant supplies of a wide variety of food year-round, MacAulay added that the partners “must continue to show the world the benefits of open-trade relationships.”

Mexico’s Calzada echoed those sentiments by noting that “the first thing we have to build is trust” and send a strong message to political leaders and other stakeholders that NAFTA is “an asset.” He added, “Of course, there will always be issues or items (that need addressing),” but “we haven’t had many in recent years.”

Formal negotiations on changes to NAFTA could begin as soon as August in the wake of the Trump administration notifying Congress last month of its plans to launch talks to revamp the trade agreement.

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