Dairy Industry Helping Lead USMCA Push
November 13, 2019
NMPF has been outspoken in its advocacy for USMCA and its benefits for dairy farmers. As this year’s congressional session draws to a close, NMPF is increasing efforts to encourage congressional leaders and USTR to come to an agreement that moves this trade pact forward.
NMPF president and CEO Jim Mulhern on Oct. 31 joined House Agriculture Committee Livestock Chairman Jim Costa and other agricultural leaders at an event on Capitol Hill to stress the importance of passing USMCA American agricultural prosperity. Together, they called on Congress to act swiftly to pass USMCA to improve our trade relationships and secure increased export opportunities.
Mulhern also penned an op-ed for Agri-Pulse that was published in conjunction with the event, writing, “The trade relationships the U.S. shares with our North American neighbors are among our most important, but they are long overdue for an upgrade. Congress has the opportunity to make that happen by passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). With just a handful of legislative days left on the congressional calendar in 2019, there’s no time to waste and congressional action is urgently needed.”
NMPF has also been a driving force behind an effort to amplify the voice of the dairy farmer in USMCA outreach. Working closely with members and with USDEC, NMPF spearheaded and secured placement for farmer-led guest columns in the Cedar Rapids Gazette in Iowa, the Daily Star in New York, the Reading Eagle in Pennsylvania, and the Star Tribune in Minnesota.