NAFTA Fully Implemented as of January 1, 2008

January 17, 2008

On January 1, 2008, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) reached full implementation and therefore the last remaining trade restrictions on a handful of agricultural commodities (U.S. exports to Mexico of corn, dry edible beans, nonfat dry milk and high fructose corn syrup and Mexican exports to the United States of sugar and certain horticultural products) are now removed.  There are no longer any tariff-rate quotas and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has advised that the NAFTA Preference Criterion “F” should no longer be used.  However, FAS has also advised that due to pork being a sensitive political issue in Mexico, the Mexican government has recently closed 10 out of 18 ports/border ports to U.S. pork, though FAS views this as illegal. 

For further information please contact Rick Van Arnam at rvanarnam@barnesrichardson.com.