Round two of the renegotiation talks regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was largely uneventful, according to those included in the talks. While the U.S. is suggesting a deal can be completed by the end of this year, many see the slow progress as an indication of a much longer negotiation process. Mexico’s top agriculture official told Bloomberg, however, “there is a will of the three countries” to get a deal finished. Dairy Farmers of Canada called a lack of policy proposals from the U.S. “surprising,” making it unbelievable to finish a deal by December. The U.S. took aim at Canada ‘s dairy supply and demand management system over the weekend. While negotiators have made some progress, they have yet to agree on any major contentious issue and are far from a deal on individual NAFTA chapters. Round three of negotiations is scheduled later this month in Canada.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.