Heitkamp Statement on New Trade Agreement with Canada & Mexico

Statement

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today issued the following statement on the new trilateral trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

"From the beginning of the renegotiation of NAFTA, which has been going on for over a year, I've been pushing for a deal that maintains North Dakota's critical trade relationships with Canada and Mexico, our largest trading partners," Heitkamp said. "The renegotiation was an opportunity to address several issues important to North Dakota agriculture. Over the past year, I've had many helpful and substantive meetings with the Canadian ambassador to talk through issues in NAFTA that I hoped could be addressed to support North Dakota farmers and ranchers. The new agreement is good news for wheat growers who would no longer face an unfair Canadian grading system -- a change I've been pushing for -- but it's disappointing the concerns of cattle ranchers and potato farmers were not addressed. Additionally, this agreement doesn't address the steel and aluminum tariffs which are still putting North Dakota's energy industry and agriculture manufacturing equipment companies in jeopardy. Throughout the negotiation, I've been working with North Dakota agriculture producers to help them maintain their relationships with their buyers in Canada and Mexico, and I hope we can now move forward in a way that's good for North Dakota's ag economy."

From the beginning on the NAFTA renegotiation in 2017, Heitkamp outlined her top priorities for North Dakota agriculture -- including wheat grading, which was ultimately addressed in the final agreement. Heitkamp consistently pushed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to deal with the wheat grading issue that puts North Dakota growers at a disadvantage. Heitkamp also pressed Canadian officials in numerous meetings about this issue and urged them to come to the table to talk about fair grading practices for North Dakota producers. Under Canada's grading system, wheat grown in North Dakota is unable to receive a premium grade, even if the wheat was a variety registered in Canada. This makes Canadian grain handlers reluctant to handle U.S. grain in their bulk handling system. This has been a longstanding issue for U.S. wheat and barley producers, and has repeatedly been recognized as a market access barrier by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and USTR in various reports.

Heitkamp has also worked with other commodity groups, like the potato growers she recently met with near Grand Forks and in Washington, to make sure their voices were heard at the negotiating table.

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