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Cattlemen: We need NAFTA as is

Livestock producers are talking about their hope that little will change in the North American Free Trade Agreement.  2017 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Craig Uden is clear about what he wants from the 25-year-old trade deal among the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

“NAFTA needs to stay as it is,” Uden told Brownfield Ag News at the National Cattle Industry Convention in Phoenix.

NAFTA adds value to U.S. beef because of Eastern Canada’s demand for higher-end cuts and Mexico’s demand for parts of the carcass not as highly sought in the U.S., according to Uden, a Nebraska cattleman.

“So it’s a win-win for all three countries,” he said.  “We move what we need to move, both the high-end and low-end, out of our system.”

2018 NCBA President Kevin Kester of California tells Brownfield the organization keeps in close touch with administration and trade officials about what cattlemen need from the NAFTA renegotiation process.

“Do us no harm,” Kester told Brownfield, at the convention, “and don’t unnecessarily do something that we’d all regret later.”

AUDIO: Craig Uden on NAFTA (1 min. MP3)

AUDIO: Kevin Kester (6 min. MP3)