Canada
‘Do no more harm’ to NAFTA, farm leaders say
President Trump's repeated threats to withdraw from NAFTA are scaring away customers for U.S. ag exports, farm leaders said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce session on "The future of NAFTA." Gordon Stoner of the National Association of Wheat Growers said the informal slogan of farm groups – "do no harm" – when negotiations began for the new NAFTA should be replaced with "do no more harm."
Ag issues contribute to NAFTA impasse as talks head to Canada
Canada stood fast in defense of its supply management system for dairy, and Mexico rejected a U.S. proposal for sanctions on seasonal surges in produce shipments during an inconclusive round of NAFTA talks in Mexico City.
Farm-state senators ask Ross to keep ag exports flowing
Before the administration changes NAFTA, or any other trade agreement, it ought to analyze the impact on agriculture and tell farmers what to expect in the export market, said 18 farm-state senators in a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
U.S. says new NAFTA must end Canadian protection of dairy, poultry, eggs
At the top of the Trump administration's list of agricultural goals for the new NAFTA is elimination of Canadian tariffs on imports of U.S. dairy, poultry, and egg products — meaning a dismantling of the nation's supply-management system. Canada balked at that demand in the previous round of negotiation, and the current round of talks in Mexico City made little progress over the weekend.
For soybeans damaged by dicamba, timing is everything
With growers reporting dicamba damage to 3.1 million acres of soybeans, the harvest-time question for farmers is how much their yields will suffer from the weedkiller. University of Tennessee weed specialist Larry Steckel says the earlier that soybeans were hit in their lifecycle, the less likely yields will be reduced.
From bricks to clicks to groceries at the front door
A Canadian grocery and pharmacy chain says it will close 22 stores and launch home delivery in Toronto in December and Vancouver in January.
Canada and Mexico say U.S. asks too much for new NAFTA
With NAFTA negotiations at their midpoint, senior officials from Canada and Mexico accused the United States of seeking unfair trade advantages. U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer sternly responded that the United States will no longer tolerate trade deficits.
U.S. asks Canada for more access to dairy, poultry and egg markets in NAFTA talks
Canadian officials say prospects of agreement on a new NAFTA by the end of the year are fading in the face of unacceptable U.S. demands, reports Canadian Press, with some analysts questioning if the true U.S. goal is a breakdown in negotiations. The chief U.S. negotiator told Bloomberg, "We made a request of Canada for improved access for dairy, poultry and eggs" over the weekend, the first time agricultural trade was discussed at the talks.
NAFTA gives Canada an unfair edge in ag trade, says Perdue
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue listed Canada's controls over dairy and poultry imports during a Fox Business interview in 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.
With NAFTA at crucial point, U.S. farm leaders speak up for trade pacts
U.S. farm leaders turned up the volume in the debate over the new NAFTA, worried that the success story of food and ag exports isn't being heard among the clamor for tougher U.S. trade rules. "We have to be a player in the trade arena so we can move our product out of the country and feed the world," said Zippy Duvall, president of the largest U.S. farm group, during a teleconference on the importance of safeguarding market access in the NAFTA negotiations, now in the fourth of seven scheduled rounds of talks.
With NAFTA talks at crucial point, ag is on the table
The United States will put its agricultural trade proposals on the table with Canada as part of this week's round of negotiations for the new NAFTA, according to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. It's the fourth of seven scheduled rounds of talks and with limited progress so far, some analysts say the United States is trying to torpedo discussions with unacceptable demands of its North American neighbors.
Negotiators agree on one chapter for new NAFTA, look to quicken pace
At the end of three rounds of negotiations on the new NAFTA, trade ministers from the United States, Canada, and Mexico said they are agreed on a chapter dealing with small and medium-sized enterprises, and that they hope to conclude a chapter on competition before the next round, set for Oct. 11–15 in Washington. A tri-national statement did not mention any discussion of agricultural issues, although “meaningful advancements” were cited in five areas, including the competition chapter.
MacAulay says Canada will defend its supply-management system in NAFTA talks
At a roundtable meeting, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay assured producers that the government will defend supply management for the agricultural sector in negotiations for the new NAFTA. The United States has complained repeatedly about Canada's dairy system, which limits imports and assures milk producers of a high market price.
In NAFTA talks, U.S. is slow to spell out its proposals
If it's Monday, it must be Canada for trade officials who are in their third round of talks less than six weeks after NAFTA negotiations began on Aug. 16 with hopes of an agreement before the end of the year. The CBC, quoting an unnamed source close to negotiations, says the U.S. team is lagging when it comes to putting its ideas into writing so there can be detailed discussions.
Parasite hits global farmed salmon industry
A plague of parasitic sea lice has spread through salmon farms globally, causing an estimated $1 billion in losses and sending prices of farm-raised salmon up 50 percent, according to the Washington Post. "The lice are actually tiny crustaceans that have infested salmon farms in the U.S., Canada, Scotland, Norway and Chile, major suppliers of the high-protein, heart-healthy fish," the Post said. As a result, the industry has contracted by about 10 percent.
Consumers and the U.S. diet have a stake in the new NAFTA
U.S. ag exports rebound from slump, tie for third-largest ever
U.S. farm exports will total $139.8 billion this fiscal year, the third-highest tally ever and ending a slump in sales that begin in 2014 following the collapse of the commodity boom, estimated the USDA in a quarterly report. In its first forecast for fiscal 2018, the USDA pegged exports at $139 billion.
Trump says it again about NAFTA: ‘may have to terminate’
Mexico and Canada are being "very difficult" in negotiations for the new NAFTA, President Trump said with the second round of talks to begin on Friday, adding in a tweet, "may have to terminate?" It was the second time since talks started that Trump has said the United States might abandon the 1994 free trade agreement among the three largest countries, and neighbors, on the continent.