On Tuesday, July 11, the Calgary Stampede hosted the Canada- Mexico Agri-Trade Seminar.

The day included officials from the Consul of Mexico Alberta / Saskatchewan, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, the Ministry of Economy in Mexico, and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

Exporting is a very important part of Alberta's agriculture sector, and there is lots of trade opportunity in Mexico.

The North American Free Trade Agreement is twenty three years old, and has greatly benefited all countries involved. With the U.S.'s talk about renegotiation, Mexico is looking for new trade partners, and Canada fits the criteria.

Some market opportunities include animal feed, livestock and genetics, and other commodities.  

John Masswhol, Director of Government and International Relations with the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, says the purpose of the seminar was to enhance the international relationships we have.

"The international aspect of our business is so important to cattle producers, because one of the things we talked about was the ability for producers to sell their animal for maximum value. This depends on the packers who do the exporting of the beef, to be able to send each piece to the country that values it the most. We're always trying to open up all markets."

Last November, Mexico opened it's markets to Canadian Beef.

He adds, these things don't just happen over night, it takes years to build these relationships.  

The Canadian Government is seeking suggestions for their North American Free Trade Agreement "trade wish list" for the renegotiation process, and will be taking these suggestions until July 18.

 

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