Members of the cattle industry from Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. met Monday for a trilateral meeting while in San Antonio for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association’s annual CattleCon.
Nathan Phinney, president of the Canadian Cattle Association, and Dennis Laycraft, executive vice president sat down with RealAgriculture’s Lyndsey Smith on location following the meeting to unpack what’s ahead for the Canadian cattle supply chain.
Phinney says that the meeting was intense, with news changing very rapidly throughout the day before finally ending with a 30 day pause on Trump’s tariffs. While the immediate tariff threat is backed off, CCA knows the pressure is still on.
Both Laycraft and Phinney say that CCA and their trilateral partners are committed to more frequent meetings, especially in the coming months. As Laycraft points out, this pause is only a pause, and the USMCA/CUSMA review and U.S. midterms are all happening in less than 24-months.
In regards to USMCA, Laycraft adds that there is a feeling on both sides, all three sides, to first do no harm, adding it’s been an effective agreement for the U.S. and Canada. Our two countries boast the largest two-way trade of any two countries in the world of beef and live cattle, to the benefit of both countries, he says. He’s optimistic that live cattle and beef will not be the main focus of the Trump tariffs going forward.
Phinney adds that trade with the U.S. is the number one issue CCA is focused on now and for the foreseeable future, driven by the importance of what this industry means to ranchers and cattle feeders. “We’ve been waiting for this cycle for a long time patiently, and now it’s here; we’re going to do everything in our power to take full advantage of it.”
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