The U.S. Mexico-Canada Agreement: Review or Renegotiation

The required ‘review’ of the USMCA will take place in 2026. Discussions are underway on the issues to be covered and the range of the Agreement review. Will the many pressing issues in the North American trade relationship, such as biotechnology, investment, and climate related sustainability practices, require a significant reevaluation of the Agreement?

Speakers:

Sharon Bomer Lauritsen

Sharon Bomer Lauritsen is the Principal and founder of AgTrade Strategies LLC, a specialty consulting service on U.S. agricultural trade policies focusing on expanding exports of American agricultural products, food, and beverages. Sharon has over 35 years of government agriculture policy experience, 26 years of which were working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. During her 16 years at USTR, Sharon led agriculture trade negotiations for the United States as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs, including for the recent US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, US-China Economic and Trade Agreement, and US-Japan Agreement. Sharon brings expertise on agricultural trade policy in free trade agreements and World Trade Organization negotiations, as well as tariffs, farm support, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, and agricultural biotechnology.

Steve Verheul

Prior to his retirement from the Federal Public Service in 2022, Mr. Verheul held a number of senior level positions in the federal government, including Assistant Deputy Minister of the Trade Policy and Negotiations Branch at Global Affairs Canada. As Canada’s Chief Trade Negotiator, he led the negotiations that resulted in the Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement (the new NAFTA), and before that led the negotiations between Canada and the European Union that led to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. From 1989 to 2009, he worked in international trade policy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and was Canada’s Chief Agriculture Negotiator from 2003 to 2009, responsible for leading Canada’s involvement in international trade negotiations on agriculture. Mr. Verheul is currently a Principal with GT and Company Executive Advisors, as well as President of Steve Verheul Consulting Inc. He is also a Fellow of the Public Policy Forum.

David Salmonsen

David Salmonsen is currently senior director of governmental relations with the American Farm Bureau Federation office in Washington, D.C. As a member of the Public Policy Team his responsibilities include trade negotiations along with being the principal Washington contact for several Northeastern state Farm Bureaus.

Prior to joining the American Farm Bureau in 1996 he was Assistant to the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. He was also Senior Director of Governmental Relations with the New York Farm Bureau.

David grew up on a dairy and vegetable farm in Manlius, N.Y. He graduated from the University at Albany and from the Washington College of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Agricultural Law Association and is admitted to the bar in New York. He serves as the American Farm Bureau liaison to the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations. He was a member of the Advisory Committee for the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany. He is a graduate of Class V of the LEAD-NY program.