The companies and farmers that keep the US food system running are starting to bristle at president Donald Trump’s threats to leave the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
A long list of major food and agricultural companies and trade associations recently signed onto a letter (pdf) sent to commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, challenging his recent comment that a NAFTA withdrawal would not lead to a significant drop in exports.
“Unless countries are going to be prepared to have their people go hungry or change their diets, I think it’s more of a threat to try to frighten the agricultural community”, Ross said on a panel in Washington in October.
The American food industry-which exported nearly $43 billion in food and agricultultural goods to Canada and Mexico in 2016 alone-has some serious concerns with Ross’ take. They aren’t feeling any less worried after yesterday (Nov. 8), when US Department of Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters in Washington that he’s working with the White House and Congress to come up with a plan to protect farmers in the event of a NAFTA pull-out.
The list of names included on the letter is a staggering representation of key players in the global food system. It includes groups that represent the world’s largest food manufacturers, as well as the meat, dairy, candy, peanut, produce, almond, wine, liquor, corn, soybean, and turkey industries, among many others.
Here’s a full list of the 87 signatories:
| Signatories to the “Food Agriculture Letter on Importance of North American Market” |
|---|
| Agribusiness Council of Indiana |
| Agriculture Transportation Coalition |
| AgVentures NW |
| Almond Alliance of California |
| American Bakers Association |
| American Cotton Shippers Association |
| American Farm Bureau Federation |
| American Feed Industry Association |
| American Frozen Food Institute |
| American Peanut Council |
| American Peanut Product Manufacturers |
| American Seed Trade Association |
| American Soybean Association |
| Animal Health Institute |
| Arizona Grain |
| Attebury Grain |
| Aurora Cooperative |
| Bartlett Grain Company |
| Beachner Grain |
| CHS Inc. |
| CoBank ACB |
| Corn Refiners Association |
| CropLife America |
| Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative |
| DE Bondurant Grain Co. Inc. |
| Deere Company |
| Demeter LP |
| Distilled Spirits Council of the US |
| Farmers Grain Terminal |
| Grain and Feed Association of Illinois |
| Grain Craft |
| Grocery Manufacturers Association |
| Growmark |
| International Dairy Foods Association |
| Land O’Lakes |
| Maplehurst Farms |
| Michigan Agri-Business Association |
| Michigan Agricultural Commodities |
| Michigan Bean Shippers |
| Montana Grain Elevator Association |
| National Association of Egg Farmers |
| National Association of State Departments of Agriculture |
| National Association of Wheat Growers |
| National Cattlemen’s Beef Association |
| National Confectioners Association |
| National Corn Growers Association |
| National Cotton Council |
| National Council of Farmer Cooperatives |
| National Grain and Feed Association |
| National Milk Producers Federation |
| National Oilseed Processors Association |
| National Pork Producers Council |
| National Renderers Association |
| National Sorghum Producers |
| National Turkey Federation |
| North American Meat Institute |
| North American Millers’ Association |
| North Dakota Grain Dealers Association |
| Northwest Grain Growers |
| Northwest Horticultural Council |
| Ohio Agribusiness Association |
| Ohio Corn Wheat Growers Association |
| Pet Food Institute |
| Pride Ag Resources |
| Produce Coalition for NAFTA |
| Rocky Mountain Agribusiness Association |
| South Dakota Grain and Feed Association |
| Stratford Grain Company |
| Superior Farms |
| Team Marketing Alliance |
| Texas Grain and Feed Association |
| The DeLong Co. |
| The Wenger Group |
| TopFlight Grain Cooperative |
| United Fresh Produce Association |
| US Apple Association |
| US Dry Bean Council |
| US Grains Council |
| US Hide |
| US Meat Export Federation |
| USA Poultry and Egg Export Council |
| USA Rice |
| Wheeler Brothers Grain Company |
| WineAmerica |
| Wisconsin Agri-Business Association |
