CEO DATELINE - Agriculture, food groups form coalition to defend NAFTA
CEO DATELINE - Agriculture, food groups form coalition to defend NAFTA
- January 19, 2018 |
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Walt Williams
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More than 30 groups representing a range of agriculture, food and manufacturing interests have formed a new group to advocate for the "preservation and modernization" of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which President Donald Trump has threatened to tear apart.
Americans for Farmers and Families will seek to educate the Trump administration and members of Congress about the importance of NAFTA to the U.S. agricultural and retail communities, the coalition said in a statement.
"Since taking effect in 1994, the positive impacts of NAFTA extend beyond America's farming community, and have helped the food and agricultural industries to grow to support more than 43 million jobs," the coalition said. "But it is rural economies and communities that are among the biggest winners under NAFTA, the very same communities that powered President Trump to victory in 2016."
Trump has characterized NAFTA as a job killer for the U.S. The administration has begun renegotiations to get a "better deal" for the country, but Canada and Mexico reportedly are balking at some of the demands. The president has suggested he would pull the U.S. out of the trade deal if changes are not made.
The coalition said it was open to "modernization" of NAFTA but didn't spell out what changes its members would like to see. The group instead emphasized the agreement's economic impacts, saying food and agriculture exports have more than quadrupled since the treaty went into effect in 1994.
"It's not an exaggeration to say many farmers are still farming today because of NAFTA," said John Bode, CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, one of the coalition's founding members.
Other coalition members include the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Frozen Food Institute, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, Distilled Spirits Council, Grocery Manufacturers Association, National Restaurant Association and Retail Industry Leaders Association. http://bit.ly/2DlHvOT
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