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Finalizing USMCA is more important now than ever

The president and CEO of the US Meat Export Federation says once the USMCA deal is in place it should provide a much-needed boost to exports into both Canada and Mexico.

And Dan Halstrom says getting the deal approved is more important now than ever.  “From my days when I was an exporter myself – it’s always harder to get a customer back a second time versus a first time,” he says.  “This is what we’re dealing with right now and it’s going to take us some time to get that lost share back.”

Mexico is the top market in terms of volume for US pork and lamb and number 3 for beef.   And with the Japan trade deal hopefully being implemented soon, Halstrom says getting USMCA across the finish line becomes even more important in terms of the product mix for beef.  “This would complement that nicely,” he says.  “Because the product mix to Mexico is different from Japan.  So they complement each other form a carcass utilization standpoint.  A lot of the middle meats, a lot of the plates, beef tongues, things like that going into Japan – and then the end cuts, like rounds, go to Canada and Mexico.”

He says the organization is encouraged by the ongoing negotiations between the US Trade Representative’s office and a Congressional group working to brining the USMCA to an approval vote in the House.