The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) amended the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiation objectives last Friday, following extensive discussion with Capitol Hill lawmakers and business leaders. The amended objectives include a call for the elimination of Canadian embargoes on U.S. dairy products.

"This update is an important next step in ensuring that the American people continue to know what the Trump administration is seeking to achieve in a renegotiated NAFTA," USTR Robert Lighthizer said in a statement. "If we are able to achieve these objectives, we will both modernize and re-balance NAFTA to better serve the interests of our workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses."

According to USTR, the revised objectives enhance focus on technical trade procedure and barriers and allow for increased transparency in trade practices.

 “[We] seek to eliminate unjustified measures that unfairly limit access to Canada’s markets and unfairly decrease market access opportunities in third countries for U.S. dairy products, such as cross subsidization, price discrimination and price undercutting,” the amended objectives state.

The revisions remain subject to change at the discretion of the USTR and the White House and will be updated regularly and released publicly as the United States continues in NAFTA renegotiations.

A link to the revised USTR NAFTA objectives can be found here: amended areas are highlighted.

Members may contact Dave Carlin, IDFA senior vice president of legislative affairs and economic policy at dcarlin@idfa.org.