Source: Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has long been an advocate for North American free trade and strongly encourages swift ratification of the Canada, United States, Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) as the bill that would enable this was introduced into the House of Commons yesterday.
Under CUSMA and its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the beef industries of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico enjoy reciprocal duty-free trade. The preservation of this trade access was a high priority for the CCA in the renegotiation process.
“We strongly encourage nonpartisan collaboration to enable swift ratification and implementation of the new NAFTA. This is of utmost importance to the Canadian beef industry,” said CCA President David Haywood Farmer. “Ratification will let us get back to focusing on next steps of strengthening trade between our nations such as the work undertaken by the Regulatory Cooperation Council.”
The experience of the North American beef cattle industries under NAFTA is testament to the value of trade agreements. Access to global markets, including the North American market, means that on average that each animal is worth over $600 CDN more than in comparison to domestic market sales alone.
Cattle producers across all three nations have worked to ensure the value of trade was understood by elected officials during the renegotiation process. The Canada – U.S. beef trading relationship is the largest in the world and trade has significant benefits for both industries.
The CCA will continue to encourage the Government of Canada towards swift ratification and regulatory cooperation across borders, which will further enhance the value of trade and strength of the North American market.
