Minister Celebrates 20 Years of NAFTA with U.S. and Mexican Counterparts in Mexico City
May 21, 2014 – Mexico City, Mexico – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has concluded a successful visit to Mexico, where he and his two counterparts, Mexican Agriculture Secretary Enrique Martínez, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, gathered together for the first time.
To mark the North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) 20th anniversary, Minister Ritz joined Secretaries Vilsack and Martínez to discuss the vast benefits the Agreement has created for the North American agriculture industry at a panel discussion with the three agriculture leaders.
During the NAFTA panel, Minister Ritz stressed the importance of fair and science-based decisions to facilitate trade within the NAFTA region. Minister Ritz later reinforced the same message during bilateral discussions with U.S. Secretary Vilsack and Mexican Secretary Martínez.
During his meeting with Secretary Vilsack, Minister Ritz raised various issues of interest to Canada, including the importance of the U.S. ending the discrimination against Canadian cattle and hogs under mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). In his bilateral meeting with Secretary Martínez, Minister Ritz stressed the need for a resolution of market access for Canadian beef from animals over thirty months in accordance with science-based rules.
Minister Ritz also travelled from Mexico City to Zacatecas, Mexico, for the Mexican Cattle Association's Annual Convention, which provided him the opportunity to reinforce Canada's position on U.S. mandatory COOL with key industry leaders and express the need for cattle industries within the NAFTA region to work together to address this important issue.
Jeff English
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gerry Ritz
613-773-1059
Media Relations
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
613-773-7972
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