Locke: USMCA Will Be Better For Washington Ag Than NAFTA

Former Washington Governor Gary Locke says the state’s Ag economy stand to benefit considerably if USMCA is ratified and enacted.  The former Commerce Secretary noted that one of the Ag industries that will benefit right away, dairy.

“A lot of the barriers that Canada places on American dairy will be removed, so that’s a benefit.  We have a huge dairy industry in the state of Washington on both sides of the Cascades.”

Locke noted that the Washington Wine industry will benefit as well, as stores in British Columbia will no longer be allowed to relegate American wine to the back of their stores under USMCA.  He noted Washington does so much business with both Mexico and Canada, that USMCA will in fact help most segments of the state’s economy.

“For instance, we actually have a trade surplus with Canada.  We sell more to Canada than we buy from Canada.  And so, the more barriers that are removed by the Canadians, to enable more exports of American products, and specifically, Washington state products, the more jobs it will create.  And so, this is a good job creating agreement.”

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