U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) recently led a bipartisan contingent of 16 lawmakers in urging the administration to bolster market access within the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
“We see meaningful opportunities to strengthen market access within USMCA, particularly in addressing non-tariff trade barriers related to sanitary and phytosanitary standards and agricultural biotechnology,” the lawmakers wrote in a June 11 letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
With the agreement now undergoing its six-year Joint Review to ensure proper oversight, implementation, and enforcement, Rep. Smith, chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, and his colleagues raised concerns about Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality, which they say subjects U.S. grain shipments to duplicative inspections despite them already meeting established phytosanitary requirements.
“Currently, U.S. grain moving to Mexico is officially inspected by the Federal Grain Inspection Service or one of its designated agencies. These inspections confirm the grade and quality of shipments and compliance with Mexico’s phytosanitary requirements,” wrote the lawmakers. “Despite this, Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality stops shuttle trains at the border and reinspects them under a zero-tolerance standard for soil, which differs significantly from U.S. practice. This has real consequences.”
For instance, the lawmakers pointed out that reinspection delays trains, increases transportation costs, and often triggers fumigation orders that can cost shippers up to $70,000 per train.
Likewise, rail carriers may send cars back empty rather than risk delays, and grain companies must purchase additional train capacity to keep supply chains running, according to their letter.
“These are onerous and duplicative procedures — not science-based protections,” the members wrote. “We believe USMCA provides an opportunity to harmonize these inspection procedures to eliminate technical barriers that slow trade and raise costs for both countries.”
The lawmakers requested that the administration provide certainty through fully enforcing the existing terms, curbing unfair practices, and addressing outstanding trade barriers that disadvantage American agriculture.
Among the members who joined Rep. Smith in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Julie Fedorchak (R-ND), Mike Bost (R-IL), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Jim Costa (D-CA).