Canada and the United States share one of the most integrated trading relationships in the world, especially when it comes to agriculture. On February 25, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, travelled to Washington, D.C. where he met with U.S. officials and key stakeholders to underline the importance of maintaining it.
Minister MacAulay met with Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), Wes Ward, president of NASDA and Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture, and Blayne Arthur, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture on the margins of the 2025 NASDA Winter Policy Conference. During these meetings, they discussed shared priorities, work to reduce trade barriers, the value of our agricultural trading relationship, and its benefits for both Canadian and American farmers and consumers. With $101 billion (CAD) in agri-food and seafood bilateral trade in 2024, it’s a vital partnership to farmers, businesses, and food security.
While at the NASDA Winter Policy Conference, Minister MacAulay highlighted that $200 million worth of agricultural products cross the U.S.-Canada border daily, underscoring the scale of the trade. The Minister also emphasized the potential negative impacts that tariffs could have on this mutually beneficial trade, which is vital to both countries' economies.
To conclude his visit, the Minister met with Senator John Boozman, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Representative Glenn “GT” Thompson, chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Representative Angie Craig, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Agriculture, and representatives from the Meat Institute.