North American agri-food groups urge renewal of CUSMA ahead of 2026 review

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Washington, D.C. (Rural Roots Canada) – Nearly 160 agricultural organizations across Canada, the United States, and Mexico are urging governments to renew and strengthen the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), warning that uncertainty could disrupt deeply integrated food supply chains across the continent.

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) is in Washington this week, leading a delegation for meetings with U.S. congressional committees and federal officials ahead of the agreement’s joint review deadline of July 1.

The group is among the signatories of a trilateral industry letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard. The letter calls on all three governments to preserve what it describes as a “rules-based” agricultural trading system that has significantly expanded trade between the three countries.

According to the organizations, agrifood trade among the three partners has tripled between 2005 and 2023, reaching $285 bllion.

“Nearly 160 organizations across the United States, Canada and Mexico are sending the same message today: CUSMA works for North American agriculture, and the July 1 review is the moment to preserve what’s working,” said Greg Northey, president of CAFTA.

The delegation’s message to U.S. officials is grounded in shared economic interest, as the organizations behind that call represent supply chains that run deep into the American economy.

CAFTA executive director Michael Harvey said the agreement underpins major economic activity on both sides of the border.

“The producers, processors and exporters we represent support nearly half a million American jobs and $149 billion in U.S. economic output,” said Harvey. “A predictable, rules-based CUSMA/USMCA is a strategic asset for North American food security, and new uncertainty would inject risk into supply chains across rural America.”

Canada remains one of the United States’ top agricultural export markets, purchasing more U.S. farm goods than Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom combined, according to CAFTA. Meanwhile, the North American agri-food supply chain supports almost half a million U.S. jobs and $36 billion in wages, while facilitating roughly $3.5 billion in goods and services traded across the Canada-U.S. border every day.

The organization said the upcoming joint review represents a key opportunity to reinforce enforcement mechanisms and maintain predictability within the agreement.

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