NAFTA Conversations Continue

Hearings continue in Ottawa this month as the Federal Government looks to ratify the new NAFTA.

 

The US and Mexico have already given the green light to the deal. Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke about some of the difficulties Canadian negotiators faced right off the bat, from the US camp, especially on the issue of supply management.

 

In the end, Canada stood firm on the issue, however, the government did agree to forfeit roughly 3 per cent market access to US milk products, promising to compensate Canadian dairy producers for the damage caused from that lost market share. But there's an additional clause in the new deal the dairy industry is bringing to light at the hearings in Ottawa, one that Mike Barrett of the Dairy Processors of Canada calls a dangerous precedent.

 

The new NAFTA puts a cap on the number of milk proteins the Canadian dairy industry can sell to not just the US and Mexico but globally. Foothills MP John Barlow who sits on the Commons Ag committee, asked the industry presenters, like Mike Barrett, if they knew this was coming.

 

"There was good communication of the process of the negotiation of the agreement itself. There was a good deal of dialogue, but we were surprised by the reiteration of the agreement that included the export caps that have been outlined."

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.