They are warning Republicans and U.S. President Donald Trump
that farmers will punish them come election time if the negotiations now
underway In Montreal this week end up in failure or Trump pulling out.
It’s their sales to Mexico that are motivating the political
push from farmers, including cheese, beef, chicken and pork.
Without
NAFTA, cheese would face a Mexican tariff up to 45 per cent. Using 2016 cheese
exports to Mexico totaling $170 million, the tariffs would add up to $76.5
million in duties.
Similarly,
without NAFTA, beef would be subject to a 25 per cent tariff. In 2016, the U.S.
shipped $867 million of beef to Mexico. With a tariff in place, that would be
$217 million in additional duties.
Chicken
would face tariffs of $653 million and pork $130 million.
