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NAFTA talks are underway

The United States’ top trade official took a hard negotiating stance Wednesday as NAFTA renegotiation talks got underway, saying major changes are needed to slash U.S. trade deficits.

Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said NAFTA has “failed many, many Americans”, and despite its benefits to farmers and ranchers, “needs major improvements”.

Lighthizer said President Trump was not interested in merely tweaking the 23-year-old pact and warned the U.S. would seek major changes in regards to automobile production and labor standards.

Meanwhile, leading U.S., Canadian and Mexican farm groups have issued a joint letter requesting that NAFTA renegotiations modernize the agreement, rather than dismantle it. The letter said the talks need to build on the original agreement’s success by looking for ways to increase trade volumes.

The letter was signed by leaders of the American Farm Bureau Bureau Federation, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Mexico’s CNA.

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