Dear Prime Minister Carney and Ministers,
On behalf of leaders in Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector, we write to echo the recent correspondence from our U.S. counterparts and express our strong support for the full 16-year renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Our organizations represent a broad spectrum of agriculture and agri-food industries—including farmers, ranchers, processors, and agribusinesses, to name a few. These stakeholders have greatly benefited from the seamless economic integration across North America made possible by the provisions of the CUSMA agreement.
CUSMA has been instrumental in fostering a stable, integrated North American agricultural market. It has enabled Canadian farmers, ranchers, processors, and exporters to thrive through predictable access to our most important trading partners. As a result, trade between all three countries under CUSMA has led to the tripling of the value of North American agriculture and agrifood trade between 2005 and 2023, totaling approximately $400 billion CAD ($285 billion USD).
The agreement’s provisions—particularly those related to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, biotechnology, technical barriers to trade, and dispute settlement—have provided the predictability and stability, regulatory clarity as well as science-based frameworks necessary for innovation, investment, and growth. That is why we are calling on governments to maintain the agreement’s SPS provisions, which have improved transparency and ensured science-based treatment of agricultural products—protecting plant and animal health. The continuation of science-based regulatory cooperation is critical to ensuring timely access to agricultural innovations. We also fully support the Chapter 31 dispute settlement provisions in the Agreement which provide a mechanism for resolving barriers that otherwise disrupt market stability and growth.
As global competition intensifies and the integrity of the international trade system is challenged, it is more important than ever that Canada stands firm in its commitment to a rules-based trading environment. CUSMA’s renewal is not only a matter of economic necessity—it is a strategic imperative to safeguard food security, support rural communities, and maintain our global competitiveness. The success of the North American economy depends heavily on the predictability and stability afforded by a full 16-year renewal of the CUSMA agreement and related texts, without weakening its provisions or introducing any changes that negatively affect the agricultural sector.
We stand ready to work with your government and our North American partners to ensure that CUSMA continues to deliver for the North American agriculture agri-food sector and for all Canadians.
Sincerely,
Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick
Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan
Alberta Beef Producers
Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association
Alberta Federation of Agriculture
Alberta Milk
Alberta Pork
Animal Nutrition Association of Canada
Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia
Association des Aquaculteurs du Québec
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association
Beef Farmers of Ontario
BC Agriculture Council
BC Dairy Association
BC Fruit Growers Association
BC Greenhouse Growers Association
BC Pork
BC Salmon Farmers Association
BC Shellfish Growers Association
British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association
Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians
Canadian Beekeepers Federation
Canadian Bison Association
Canadian Cattle Association
Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Canadian Hatching Egg Producers
Canadian Honey Council
Canadian Livestock Transporters’ Alliance
Canadian Meat Council
Canadian Nursery Landscape Association
Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance
Canadian Potato Council
Canadian Pork Council
Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors
Canadian Produce Marketing Association
Canadian Seed Growers’ Association
Canadian Sheep Federation
Canadian Sugar Beet Producers Association
Canadian Veal Association
Chicken Farmers of Canada
Dairy Farmers of Canada
Dairy Farmers of Manitoba
Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick
Dairy Farmers of Newfoundland and Labrador
Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia
Dairy Farmers of Ontario
Dairy Farmers of Prince Edward Island
Deans Council – Agriculture, Food and Veterinary MedicineEgg Farmers of Canada
Equestrian Canada
Fertilizer Canada
Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (F.A.R.M.S.)
Flowers Canada Growers
Food and Beverage Canada
Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada
Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada
Holland Marsh Growers Association
Horticulture Nova Scotia
Keystone Agricultural Producers
Les Éleveurs de Porcs de Québec
Les Producteurs de bovins du Québec
Les Producteurs de lait du Québec
Manitoba Beef Producers
Manitoba Pork
Mushrooms Canada
National Cattle Feeders’ Association
National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture & Food
National Sheep Network
New Brunswick Cattle Producers
Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Agriculture
Nova Scotia Cattle Producers
Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture
Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association
Ontario Aquaculture Association
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
Ontario Pork
Ontario Produce Marketing Association
PEI Aquaculture Alliance
PEI Cattle Producers
PEI Federation of Agriculture
PEI Hog Marketing Board
PEI Potato Board
NB Pork
Pork Nova Scotia
Quebec Produce Marketing Association
Quebec Vert
Restaurants Canada
Saskatchewan Cattle Association
SaskMilk
Sask Pork
Spirits Canada
Turkey Farmers of Canada
Union des producteurs agricoles
