The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) commends the White House and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for their hard work and dedication in reaching a trilateral trade agreement that will benefit industries across North America. The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will build on the progress of the former North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while facilitating greater market access, regulatory transparency and accountability among the three trading partners.

AFIA’s President and CEO Joel G. Newman stated the following:
“Over the past year, the U.S. animal food manufacturing industry chanted ‘do no harm’ as it watched the administration on several occasions nearly reach a breaking point in its negotiations with Canada and Mexico over NAFTA. The industry can finally breathe a sigh of relief as it recognizes the administration has listened to the needs and concerns of the agricultural community and reached an agreement that maximizes and strengthens the progress and goodwill U.S. industries have built with Canada and Mexico over the past two decades.

The USMCA will not only allow U.S. animal food exports to remain strong, but to grow in the face of intense global competition. It does this while ushering in a new era of trade agreements – one that is built on groundbreaking provisions that increase transparency among trading partners while rewarding science and innovation that continues to help today’s industries meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumers.

We thank the administration and negotiators in Canada and Mexico for reaching a solid agreement that will surely benefit industries across all of North America.”

Over the past year, AFIA has been working through coalitions to encourage a renegotiated NAFTA that: preserved duty-free market access; addressed sanitary and phytosanitary issues; implemented science-based regulations and regulatory cooperation; and addressed Canada’s unfair feed registration requirements. The U.S. animal food manufacturing industry depends on the free trade access it enjoys with Canada and Mexico, which has allowed exports of feed ingredients, feed and pet food to more than triple since NAFTA’s implementation, growing from roughly $669 million in 1993 to over $3.1 billion today.

About AFIA

Founded in 1909, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), based in Arlington, Va., is the world’s largest organization devoted exclusively to representing the business, legislative and regulatory interests of the U.S. animal food industry and its suppliers. The organization’s membership is comprised of more than 680 domestic and international companies that represent the total feed industry—manufacturers of commercial and integrated feed and pet food, ingredient suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, industry support and equipment manufacturers. AFIA members manufacture more than 75 percent of the feed and 70 percent of the non-grain ingredients used in the country. AFIA is also recognized as the leader on international industry developments, and holds membership in the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF).