Mexico City, Mexico, May 19, 2014 - United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Mexico's Secretary of Agriculture Enrique Martínez and Canada's Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz issued the joint statement below following today's agriculture forum in Mexico:
"We, the agricultural leaders of North America, met today in Mexico City to reaffirm the benefits of fair and open trade for our economies and food security. In recent years, the North American economy has more than doubled and agricultural trade has grown exponentially.
Looking ahead, our common goal is to keep our food and agriculture industries strong and competitive. As partners, we understand the critical importance of strengthening our integrated supply chain to facilitate trade throughout North America and around the world. Growing global demand for quality, consistency and value is creating new and exciting opportunities for our agricultural sectors.
From Mexico City, to Washington, to Ottawa, we will continue to show the world how trade and open borders support economic growth and jobs. We remain committed to promoting a fair, open and integrated North American market that operates using science-based rules and reduces technical barriers to trade. Together, we are confident we can build an even stronger North American agricultural economy for the future."
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