U.S. groups support free trade agreement

REGINA — Forty agricultural organizations in the United States have formed a coalition in support of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

The organizations established a new website and launched an advertising campaign in Washington, D.C., to promote the benefits that the U.S. food and agriculture sector receive from the agreement, said a press release.

Why it Matters: A review of the trilateral trade agreement begins in July, and U.S. president Donald Trump has not guaranteed it will be renewed.

“(CUSMA) is one of president Trump’s signature achievements and one that has significantly propelled the ag economy,” said spokesperson Bryan Goodman.

“We are not saying it’s perfect, as some changes are warranted, but we are saying it is of paramount importance to farmers that all three countries renew the agreement.”

The Agricultural Coalition for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as the deal is known in the U.S., said $1.9 trillion worth of goods and services are traded under the agreement in its entirety. About one-third of American agricultural exports go to Canada and Mexico.

Members of the coalition include the National Corn Growers Association. the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau.

Goodman said the coalition wants to protect the agreement and build on it because it is essential to American prosperity.

It is holding a press conference Feb. 10 to release findings of an economic report on the agreement.