Agricultural News
Cattlemen Afraid of Losing Major Markets Spooked by Trump Administration's Itch to Abandon NAFTA
Thu, 11 May 2017 12:19:01 CDT
The Director of International Trade and Market Access for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Kent Bacus, says he was concerned when the Trump administration flirted with totally withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He told Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays that he was relieved when Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue convinced President Donald Trump to stay with NAFTA, and perhaps instead just retool it. While Bacus agrees pieces of the trade treaty could possibly warrant some modification, he says any talk disturbing the agreement makes him nervous.
"When you look at Canada and Mexico, they are two very important markets for us when it comes to beef exports," Bacus said. "Obviously, there are probably some parts of the agreement that should be renegotiated, but for the beef industry, it's really hard to improve upon unlimited, unrestricted, duty-free access to Canada and Mexico."
Bacus says that with as much volatility seen in cattle markets right now, the industry simply cannot afford to jeopardize access to these important markets.
"We are going to continue working with the Trump administration and let them know where some of these good opportunities are, but also where some of these dangerous lines are, especially when it comes to making changes to NAFTA," he emphasized. "We would rather the administration put their resources and dedicate their time toward expanding trade, rather than walking away from important export markets."
Listen to Hays speak with Bacus about the importance of maintaining our trade relationships through NAFTA for the beef industry, on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
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