Claire McCaskill : Missouri Farmers, Agriculture Producers Should Have Voice in NAFTA Negotiations Says McCaskill

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

WASHINGTON - As negotiations continue behind closed doors around the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is fighting to provide Missouri farmers, ranchers, and producers a voice in the renegotiation of the nation's largest trade agreement.

'Many Missourians' livelihoods depend on the ability to sell their harvest, livestock, and goods to Canada and Mexico-so it's only logical they should be able to easily and effectively share their concerns and stories with the people negotiating our trade deals,' McCaskill said. 'With agriculture a bedrock of our state's economy, I'm worried Washington negotiators may not fully understand how much damage a bad or broken deal could do to our farmers and ranchers.'

In 2016, 56% of Missouri's exports went to NAFTA countries totaling $7.8 billion.

McCaskill's plan would force the U.S. Trade Representative to create an online public comment portal that is easily accessible and readily available to the public, to ensure that Missourians can provide their input on the trade renegotiations. Since NAFTA was enacted in 1993, Canada and Mexico have been Missouri's top export destinations and two of the top five importers of American agricultural products, including 28 percent of total American agricultural exports last year.

McCaskill, a longtime advocate for farmers and ranchers in Missouri, recently met with President Trump's trade chief to discuss the importance of protecting Missouri's agriculture economy. Last year, McCaskill joined her Republican colleagues in seeking protections for Missouri agriculture producers in NAFTA renegotiations, and urged the Trump Administration to conduct a robust economic analysis to evaluate how any changes to NAFTA would affect Missouri's crop and livestock sectors.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri.

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