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Iowa ag secretary Naig says USMCA passage is top trade concern

Iowa ag secretary Mike Naig says his number one trade concern right now is passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA).

“When Canada and Mexico are your number one and number two trading partners, it’s easy to see why free trade agreements with those two countries are so important,” Naig says.

It’s also time for the Trump administration to lift the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Naig says. According to Iowa State University, Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. pork are costing pork producers 12 dollars per animal.

Naig says a resolution of the trade dispute with China is also important, but only if the Chinese are willing to make necessary changes. “We do need to see them not just return to the marketplace and buy product again—there’s substantive changes that we need to see.”

Naig spoke with Brownfield this week at the Iowa Power Farming Show.

AUDIO: Mike Naig