U.S, Mexico Agree to Preliminary “Bilateral NAFTA” Deal

On Monday, August 27, President Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto announced that the U.S. and Mexico had reached a preliminary deal on bilateral issues from the NAFTA renegotiation. The full text of the agreement has not yet been released, but the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released a fact sheet touting the key achievements for American agriculture.

In a win for ASTA member companies, the text includes support for all innovations in agricultural biotechnology, including gene editing. The U.S. and Mexico have also agreed to provisions to enhance information exchange and cooperation on agricultural biotechnology trade-related matters. Additional provisions are included to strengthen science-based sanitary and phytosanitary regulations.

It remains to be seen if a final trade deal will include Canada. As of publication, negotiations between the three countries are ongoing. It is also important to note that any final trade deal must receive Congressional approval per Trade Promotion Authority, and it is unclear if a bilateral deal between the U.S. and Mexico will make it through Congress.