Farmscape for July 31, 2017

Canada's Agriculture Minister says U.S. agriculture recognizes the benefits that have been created by NATA over the past 20 years.
As part of Canada's efforts to strengthen trade relations with the United States amid the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Canada's Agriculture Minister travelled to Oregon and Idaho last week to promote the benefits of agricultural trade.
During his visit Lawrence MacAulay stressed nearly nine million U.S. jobs depend on trade and investment with Canada.

Clip-Lawrence MacAulay-Canada-Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food:
First of all the reception here has been fabulous.
They certainly appreciate our presence and were willing to talk in meetings, outside meetings and everything else but the message that I hear, in fact, on both side of the border, be sure how you fix something that's not really broken.
I would think that covers a lot of what people say.
Without a question that's what I hear on both sides of the border.
Everybody I have met understands that NAFTA has been a massive asset to the agricultural sector, quadrupling the trade, putting money in the farmers pockets from Canada and the United States.
Meeting with people here there's absolutely no question that is the feeling too.
People certainly understand fully the value of NAFTA and what it has done for over 20 years for both of our nations.
What will or will not happen, we have to see down the road.
But from what I see in agriculture and talking with the agricultural sector, very pleased with what NAFTA has done and all they want to do is make sure that we continue down the path.
Not only we have quadrupled the trade over the last 20 some years but they want to make sure that we continue to expand that trade.
That's basically what I hear from everybody.

MacAulay notes just last year our two countries exchanged more than 47 billion dollars U.S. in agriculture and agri-food products.
He says Canadians and Americans really do benefit from agricultural trade.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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