On December 19, 2019, the United States House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA is a signature trade agreement of the Trump Administration and will be extremely beneficial for the California citrus industry. The trade agreement maintains zero tariffs for citrus exports to Canada, a major US market. The agreement also strengthens enforcement protocols, which will be used in future trade agreements and will be beneficial for citrus and all agriculture commodities as those new agreements become finalized. After being held up for additional labor provisions, USMCA passed with broad bipartisan support, 385 to 41. It is most likely that the Senate will pass USMCA in late January. Following President Trump’s signature, USMCA will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
