Alexandria, Virginia, USA
December 20, 2019

The following is a statement from American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) President & CEO Andy LaVigne regarding passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade: 

“The House’s bipartisan passage of USMCA is great news for the American seed industry and agriculture as a whole. Seed is a global industry, with U.S. exports totaling $1.9 billion in 2018. Seed exports to the U.S.’ largest markets—Mexico and Canada—combined for a total of $630 million.

“The USMCA includes the seed industry’s core priorities for trade. Specifically, the agreement: provides stronger support for agricultural biotechnology; recognizes the importance of evolving plant breeding methods like gene editing; strengthens science-based sanitary and phytosanitary regulations; and provides strong intellectual property protections, including a requirement for the adoption of UPOV 91 by the agreement participating countries.

“Trade is absolutely essential for the livelihood of American farmers and the U.S. economy at large, especially when we look at our neighbors to the North and the South.  The USMCA expands market opportunities with our biggest trading partners and we’re hopeful for swift passage by the Senate early in the new year.”

Website: http://www.betterseed.org/

Published: December 20, 2019