Ninety-eight agriculture organizations and companies have written an open letter to the federal government asking that the Canada-United States- Mexico trade agreement remain as it is.
Their advice comes as governments are asking what they should do during the CUSMA review that is scheduled to begin in July.
The United States agriculture industry has also appeared at hearings in Washington and also asked for CUSMA to continue.
“We are calling on governments to maintain the agreement’s SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) provisions, which have improved transparency and ensured science-based treatment of agricultural products—protecting plant and animal health,” the letter said.
“The continuation of science-based regulatory cooperation is critical to ensuring timely access to agricultural innovations.”
The letter said that between 2005 and 2023, CUSMA tripled the value of North American agriculture and agrifood trade to approximately $400 billion.
Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said while he hopes for a deal that’s better for Canadian farmers, he doesn’t want that to come at the expense of farmers in the United States and Mexico.
