free trade
Hog and turkey farmers say they could suffer if NAFTA renegotiation blows up
After withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, President Trump's top trade objective is renegotiation of the 23-year-old U.S.-Canada-Mexico agreement known as NAFTA. Farm groups speaking for U.S. hog and turkey farmers told a House Agriculture subcommittee that their industries could suffer greatly if exports are disrupted.
Clayton Yeutter dies; trade negotiator, USDA chief, White House counselor
Nebraska native Clayton Yeutter, who held a handful of high-level jobs during the Reagan-Bush era, died on Saturday of cancer at age 86. Energetic and engaging, Yeutter was U.S. trade representative for President Reagan and became agriculture secretary following the election of George H.W. Bush in 1988, moving at Bush's request to chair the Republican National Committee in 1991 and becoming counselor to the president a year after that.
Trump: Tweaks for Canada, but ‘we’re going to work with Mexico’ on NAFTA
After his first meeting with Canada's prime minister, President Trump tagged Mexico as his prime target in renegotiating the two-decade-old North American Free Trade Agreement. "We'll be tweaking it," Trump responded when asked about the impact on Canada. "It's a much less severe situation than what's taking place on the southern border."
Canada says it ‘would respond appropriately’ to new U.S. tariffs
After meeting Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Canada's foreign minister said her country "would respond appropriately" if the United States pushes for new tariffs on Canadian products as part of NAFTA negotiations, said Reuters. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could meet President Trump as early as next week; NAFTA would be a top issue.
Dairy industry says new Canadian rules will block U.S. exports
Dairy companies wrote to governors of 25 states to ask their help in heading off a change in Canadian dairy policy, due to take effect on Wednesday, that they say will further discourage shipments of ultra-filtered milk and other dairy products to Canada. The dairies say the new National Ingredients Policy violates trade agreements.
Trump nixes TPP in favor of bilateral pacts; farm groups fear loss of exports
The White House declared "a new era of U.S. trade policy in which the Trump administration will pursue bilateral trade opportunities with allies" following its withdrawal from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Farm groups, whose members voted by a landslide for President Donald Trump, called for protection against loss of farm exports due to the change in focus.
Negotiations with Canada and Mexico over NAFTA to begin soon, says Trump
President Donald Trump plans to meet the leaders of Canada and Mexico soon "to start renegotiating on NAFTA, on immigration and on security at the border," reported Reuters. After China, the U.S. neighbors are the top markets for U.S. farm exports, forecast to buy 29 percent of ag exports and be the source of 44 percent of U.S. agricultural imports, so farm groups want to avoid adverse effects of reworked rules.
Larger ag exports to China and Mexico, countries under Trump scrutiny
Two countries that account for one-third of U.S. farm exports, China and Mexico, are the main reasons for a slightly higher forecast for ag exports this fiscal year, says USDA. Exports are now estimated at $134 billion, up $1 billion from the August estimate, with sales to China and Mexico up $300 million apiece.
EU disarray stalls trade pact with Canada, may doom U.S. deal
The Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, declared that the European Union was incapable of finalizing a trans-Atlantic trade deal and walked out of negotiations, said Reuters. The environmental group Friends of the Earth said it was time to kill the Canada-EU pact and a proposed U.S.-EU free-trade agreement.
France: U.S.-EU trade pact ‘bogged down,’ may never be final
French President Francois Hollande said the U.S.-EU free-trade agreement under discussion for three years cannot be finalized before President Obama leaves office in January, said BBC News. Hollande was the latest in a series of European officials to question if negotiations can be completed; France's trade minister said he would propose suspension of negotiations at an EU meeting next month.
U.S. calls for WTO reform in 2024
International trade discussions are seeing a new dynamism now that the WTO is focused on updating and reforming its rules, said U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai. In a speech to a Washington think tank, Tai said the ministerial conference scheduled for February should "lock in progress on areas where we can agree."