Apples and the USMCA Pt 3

Apples and the USMCA Pt 3

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. There may be no more important Congressional business in the short-term, than ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement.

That's according to U.S. Apple Association president Jim Bair who says no group knows that better than Washington apple growers ...

BAIR ... "Well, your listeners are, maybe as much or more than any other part of American agriculture, are tied to trade and so, their future is really dependent on it."

The good news, Bair says is there appears to be support on both sides of the aisle ...

BAIR ... "Fortunately, it is a bipartisan support, largely, and that's good to see because we really are going to need every member of the delegations from the Northwest to vote for USMCA."

But, Bair says every day that goes by makes passage a little more difficult ...

BAIR ... "Canada has their Presidential election third week in October and, for their political reasons, they don't want to have to do their final ratification at that time. So, that means we've got a couple of weeks between now and say the second week in October. After that, if it hasn't been passed by then, then it probably gets bumped November. Again, every day that goes by just means that we've got more pressure to get it done in a shorter amount of time."

Unfortunately, Bair says ag didn't start this ...

BAIR ... "You know, it's frustrating because the trade wars are, through no fault of agriculture, yet we're caught in the crosshairs of a fight that we didn't start and, frankly, don't really stand to gain from."

Bottom line, Bair says Washington growers deserve free trade with, especially with their neighbors.

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