NCC joined nearly 1,000 agricultural groups in sending a letter to Congress on Tuesday calling for ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
The letter reiterates that USMCA will benefit the U.S. agriculture and food industry while providing consumers a more abundant supply of high-quality, safe food at affordable prices.
“Over the last 25 years, U.S. food and agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico have more than quadrupled under NAFTA – growing from $9 billion in 1993 to nearly $40 billion in 2018,” the letter reads. “NAFTA has significantly helped create a reliable, high-quality supply of food products for U.S. consumers, while supporting more than 900,000 American jobs in food and agriculture and related sectors of the economy. USMCA builds on the success of the NAFTA agreement, and will ultimately lead to freer markets and fairer trade. This modernized trade agreement makes improvements to further enhance U.S. food and agricultural exports to our neighbors and would deliver an additional $2.2 billion in U.S. economic activity.
The letter references the International Trade Commission’s recent report on USMCA, which confirmed that the agreement will improve market access for U.S. farmers, ranchers and food producers, as well as positively impact both the U.S. agriculture sector and the broader national economy.
“Given the significance of USMCA for the U.S. agriculture and food industry, we strongly urge that it be considered quickly, and we respectfully ask you to vote to ratify the agreement,” the letter concludes.
