Canada still has to pass the trade agreement for it to go into effect.
President Trump signed the USMCA trade agreement January 29 in a White House ceremony. United Fresh CEO Tom Stenzel attended the event. (photo by Tom Stenzel)
Tom Stenzel, President & CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, BB #:145458 attended the ceremony and wrote this endorsement:
Today, President Trump signed the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), marking a major milestone for trade among these three close neighbors. As I attended the signing ceremony this morning at the White House, I was reminded that finalizing this agreement has not been easy or without controversy, but is based on compromise and consensus across many views.
Passing a bipartisan trade agreement in 2020 with the United States’ two largest trading partners is a critically important trade policy development. The results show that Republicans and Democrats can compromise when it is in the best interest of the country. And, by modernizing and building upon the NAFTA agreement, our three countries have shown a commitment to free and fair trade that provides certainty to companies doing business across our borders.
For agriculture, generally, and our fresh produce industry specifically, the agreement does not make everyone universally happy. Are there competitive issues in produce that won’t go away? You bet! But USMCA demonstrates a commitment to consumers in all three countries to allow our free enterprise system to work its magic, providing access to goods and services that consumers want. We do not want artificial trade barriers that government installs, nor tariffs and regulations that skew the balance between market demand and market supply. USMCA provides a clear roadmap that brings certainty to growers, buyers and consumers across our supply chain.
Is there still a need for government oversight? Of course. No one approves of giving unfair advantages, whether in subsidizing one competitor or protecting another. Signing USMCA is not the end of trade disputes whether in auto manufacturing, timber or produce – it is the clarification of the rules so all players know the game, with an expectation that all will abide by those rules.
I personally appreciate the role that the United Fresh Board of Directors played in carefully examining all views and reaching its own consensus positions. Their leadership enabled us to speak clearly about this process over the past several years, whether to the industry, or to the Mexican, Canadian and U.S. governments.
Despite the challenges in finding consensus on trade policy, imports and exports are critical to both producers and consumers in all three countries. We now have an agreement that will serve producers and consumers in all three markets, as well as allied trading partners across the globe. The future of our industry in North America is bright.
Richard Owen, vice president, global membership & engagement for the Produce Marketing Association, BB #:153708 released this statement today:
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed into law by the President today, just two weeks after being approved by the Senate and one month after passing in the House of Representatives. This is a trilateral agreement, requiring all three countries’ signatures to go into effect. While this signing is the final step before the agreement becomes law in the United States, Canada’s Parliament has yet to approve it. Some reports predict this could be days away, while others are claiming it could be months.
Once all three countries have signed, the agreement will not go into effect (or replace NAFTA) until the first day of the third month after the final signature is received. Therefore, if Canada ratifies the agreement in February, USMCA would become official as of June 1. The three-month period is designed to allow the government a transitional period for implementing language and determining a plan for execution of the agreement.
PMA has been resolute in our support of the passage of USMCA and welcomes the update to NAFTA which has significantly aided the effort to increase year-round availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, ultimately increasing consumption. In 2018, fruits and vegetables represented $4.2b US exports to Canada and Mexico and vegetables, fruits and nuts totaled around $12b in imports from Mexico to the US in the same year. As demand for fresh fruits, vegetables, and floral grows, the USMCA is necessary to our industries’ ability to maintain supply.
One of the immediate benefits to the produce and floral industries will be greater predictability of trade. With predictability comes confidence which in turn encourages investment in infrastructure and production to support the North American market. The agreement maintains zero tariffs for the trading of fruits and vegetables, modernizes labor provisions and intellectual property rights, and is consistent with PMA’s overarching goals for free and fair trade.
As we move into the next phase of implementation, PMA will continue to focus on the window of influence for the fresh produce and floral industries. Our role will shift from informing on industry concerns to ensuring industry needs are being expressed. We will continue to keep our members and industry informed on developments as USMCA progresses and celebrate the achievement of this important milestone.
President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement today in a White House ceremony.
Trump had been critical of NAFTA during his campaign for president, and he said the successor bill USMCA is a fairer and superior deal for the U.S.
Canada still has to pass the trade agreement for it to go into effect.
President Trump signed the USMCA trade agreement January 29 in a White House ceremony. United Fresh CEO Tom Stenzel attended the event. (photo by Tom Stenzel)
Tom Stenzel, President & CEO of the United Fresh Produce Association, BB #:145458 attended the ceremony and wrote this endorsement:
Today, President Trump signed the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), marking a major milestone for trade among these three close neighbors. As I attended the signing ceremony this morning at the White House, I was reminded that finalizing this agreement has not been easy or without controversy, but is based on compromise and consensus across many views.
Passing a bipartisan trade agreement in 2020 with the United States’ two largest trading partners is a critically important trade policy development. The results show that Republicans and Democrats can compromise when it is in the best interest of the country. And, by modernizing and building upon the NAFTA agreement, our three countries have shown a commitment to free and fair trade that provides certainty to companies doing business across our borders.
For agriculture, generally, and our fresh produce industry specifically, the agreement does not make everyone universally happy. Are there competitive issues in produce that won’t go away? You bet! But USMCA demonstrates a commitment to consumers in all three countries to allow our free enterprise system to work its magic, providing access to goods and services that consumers want. We do not want artificial trade barriers that government installs, nor tariffs and regulations that skew the balance between market demand and market supply. USMCA provides a clear roadmap that brings certainty to growers, buyers and consumers across our supply chain.
Is there still a need for government oversight? Of course. No one approves of giving unfair advantages, whether in subsidizing one competitor or protecting another. Signing USMCA is not the end of trade disputes whether in auto manufacturing, timber or produce – it is the clarification of the rules so all players know the game, with an expectation that all will abide by those rules.
I personally appreciate the role that the United Fresh Board of Directors played in carefully examining all views and reaching its own consensus positions. Their leadership enabled us to speak clearly about this process over the past several years, whether to the industry, or to the Mexican, Canadian and U.S. governments.
Despite the challenges in finding consensus on trade policy, imports and exports are critical to both producers and consumers in all three countries. We now have an agreement that will serve producers and consumers in all three markets, as well as allied trading partners across the globe. The future of our industry in North America is bright.
Richard Owen, vice president, global membership & engagement for the Produce Marketing Association, BB #:153708 released this statement today:
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed into law by the President today, just two weeks after being approved by the Senate and one month after passing in the House of Representatives. This is a trilateral agreement, requiring all three countries’ signatures to go into effect. While this signing is the final step before the agreement becomes law in the United States, Canada’s Parliament has yet to approve it. Some reports predict this could be days away, while others are claiming it could be months.
Once all three countries have signed, the agreement will not go into effect (or replace NAFTA) until the first day of the third month after the final signature is received. Therefore, if Canada ratifies the agreement in February, USMCA would become official as of June 1. The three-month period is designed to allow the government a transitional period for implementing language and determining a plan for execution of the agreement.
PMA has been resolute in our support of the passage of USMCA and welcomes the update to NAFTA which has significantly aided the effort to increase year-round availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, ultimately increasing consumption. In 2018, fruits and vegetables represented $4.2b US exports to Canada and Mexico and vegetables, fruits and nuts totaled around $12b in imports from Mexico to the US in the same year. As demand for fresh fruits, vegetables, and floral grows, the USMCA is necessary to our industries’ ability to maintain supply.
One of the immediate benefits to the produce and floral industries will be greater predictability of trade. With predictability comes confidence which in turn encourages investment in infrastructure and production to support the North American market. The agreement maintains zero tariffs for the trading of fruits and vegetables, modernizes labor provisions and intellectual property rights, and is consistent with PMA’s overarching goals for free and fair trade.
As we move into the next phase of implementation, PMA will continue to focus on the window of influence for the fresh produce and floral industries. Our role will shift from informing on industry concerns to ensuring industry needs are being expressed. We will continue to keep our members and industry informed on developments as USMCA progresses and celebrate the achievement of this important milestone.
Greg Johnson is Director of Media Development for Blue Book Services
