CFA Happy To See CUSMA Ratified, Still Concerned About Supply Management

Mar 17, 2020

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) was ratified last week.

Keith Currie is 1st Vice President with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA).

"A deal is better than no deal, however, we'll still working out how that's going to look for our supply managed system, with respect to any compensation for the loss that they negotiated away during this deal," he said. "By in large, for most of agriculture, it's going to be a positive. It's going to mean that our products are still going to flow back and forth between the three countries, that is a positive for us in agriculture because we are such large exporting nation."

Currie commented on the timing of the ratification.

"COVID-19 certainly is amplifying the need for agreements, no doubt, but I think just in general for trade, the U.S. is our largest trading partner. Getting this deal done to maintain that flow of goods and services, not only through all three countries, but in particular with the U.S., who we do the majority of our trade. I think it was just important to get the deal done."

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.