Canadian dairy farmers’ group pans new trade pact with U.S., Mexico
WASHINGTON — Canadian dairy farmers have panned the renegotiated trade pact between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, saying the new deal will undercut the industry by limiting exports and opening up the market to more American products.
Dairy Farmers of Canada issued a terse statement almost immediately after the 11th-hour agreement was announced late Sunday, following 14 months of difficult negotiations between the parties.
The organization said the newly minted U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, or USMCA, will grant an expanded 3.6 per cent market access to the domestic dairy market and eliminate competitive dairy classes, which the group says will shrink the Canadian industry.
It said the measures will have “a dramatic impact not only for dairy farmers but for the whole sector.”