By Clint Thompson
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was a featured topic during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. The USMCA entered into force on July 1, 2020. It has a couple of upcoming important dates that growers and industry leaders need to keep in mind.
The USMCA requires the Free Trade Commission, which comprises governmental representatives from all three countries, to meet on the sixth anniversary of entry into force to conduct a joint review of the agreement. That date is July 1. They can evaluate any recommendations for submitted actions and decide on any appropriate responses.
Each governmental party must confirm if it wishes to extend the term of the agreement. Also, if a participating party wishes to make a recommendation for the Commission to take action, it must do so at least one month before the joint review meeting occurs, which would be by June 1.
Bob Redding
Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., discussed the USMCA at the Southeast Regional Conference on Saturday, Jan. 10.
“These next six months to 10 months are going to be critical from our perspective about communicating with Congress and encouraging them to talk to the U.S. Trade Rep as well as the President (Trump) and the president’s team. We’ve already been meeting with staff at the White House and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. We’re going to need to keep the information and education going over the next few months,” Redding said.
GFVGA Letter
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) submitted a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) amid the USMCA review. It highlighted the continued surge of imported fruits and vegetables into the U.S.
“We encourage you to consider any trade policies that will protect U.S. fruit and vegetable growers from unfair foreign competitors, such as quotas and other tools, as the tariffs alone will not solve the economic decline of our industry,” Chris Butts, executive director of the GFVGA, noted in the letter.
“We greatly appreciate the opportunity to provide comments to assist in the upcoming USMCA review and encourage you to explore all possible options to provide an effective, near-term relief against unfairly traded Mexican fruits and vegetables threatening the survival of Georgia farm production in our nation.”