National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

WASHINGTON (July 1, 2020) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today celebrated the successful implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) by sending a joint letter of thanks to the leaders of all three nations. The letter was sent to President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It was signed by NCBA President Marty Smith, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association President Bob Lowe, and CNOG President Oswaldo Chazaro Montalvo.
 
“Together, our organizations worked in unified support of USMCA because it protects market-based principles while making improvements in other sectors to reflect the needs of a modern North American economy,” the leaders of the three cattlemen’s organizations wrote. “We are the envy of many countries because of the marketplace freedom USMCA will continue to provide both producers and consumers. 
 
“International trade is fundamental to the success of North American farmers and ranchers and the full value of the products we sell can only be achieved when we have access to the markets that most value them,” the letter continued. “In the face of the economic hardships of COVID-19, it is timely and welcome that USMCA enters into force, providing a foundation of economic stability for our rural communities and food systems.”
 
Congress last winter overwhelmingly approved the new USMCA deal, with the Senate voting 89-10 in support of it a few weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives passed it with a strong bipartisan vote of 385-41. NCBA worked hard to build support for USMCA on Capitol Hill, and then-NCBA-President Jennifer Houston led a delegation of more than a dozen members to the White House to attend the official signing ceremony on Jan. 29.  
 
“We believe that our economies and our countries will be stronger together through USMCA,” the letter concluded.