Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue cited Canada’s controls over dairy and poultry imports during a Fox Business interview, saying “some of the things left out of NAFTA” give Canada an unfair advantage in ag trade. At the White House, President Trump said, “It’s possible we won’t be able to make a deal” and the United States would seek a bilateral pact with Canada or Mexico.
Negotiators from North America’s three largest countries are in their fourth round of talks, with discussions set to run through Sunday. Agricultural trade is expected to be a topic for the first time.
Perdue said on Fox that the primary agricultural irritants with Canada are its supply management system, poultry access issues and unfair treatment of U.S. wines in British Columbia. “So some of the things left out of NAFTA from a Canadian access perspective, is not fair for the United States,” said Perdue. Canada has vowed to defend staunchly its supply management system, which limits imports and assures domestic producers of a minimum price.
Trump “is serious about trade deficits. He’s serious about keeping jobs in the United States,” said the agriculture secretary.
Before meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump told reporters, “You will know in the not too distant future” if NAFTA is dead. “If we can’t make a deal, it’ll be terminated and that will be fine … But it has to be fair to both countries.”
“It’s possible we won’t be able to reach a deal with one or the other (Canada or Mexico),” Trump said when asked again about NAFTA. “But in the meantime, we’ll make a deal with one. But I think we will have a chance to do something very creative that’s good for Canada, Mexico and the United States.”