Wherever you go, it appears USMCA is dominating the conversation in agriculture. It was no exception at the World Dairy Expo when Secretary Sonny Perdue said he was confident it will get passed.
However, Chris Galen, vice president of communication of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) isn’t sure that will happen with the impeachment inquiry against President Trump.
“What we’ve been hearing, at least officially from the House Speaker on down, is they want to continue working on other legislative issues besides the possibility of impeaching the President,” said Galen. “We think that if there’s any evidence that they can continue to function and work on a bipartisan basis, it will be on the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement.”
While some in the ag industry are applauding the new trade deal between the U.S. and Japan, there is some apprehension in the dairy industry.
“What we have told the administration is we need to continue working on the terms of this agreement with Japan because it is such a large market,” he said. “The important thing is that there are other nations that already have relationships with Japan, and the U.S. could not be placed at a competitive disadvantage with countries like New Zealand.”
According to Galen, the NMPF is excited about the deal with Japan, but needs to see more details.
