/EINPresswire.com/ -- BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2017) - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this release.

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, delivered a keynote address yesterday at the Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit of the State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

During his address, Minister MacAulay pledged to work with the incoming U.S. administration and Congress to further strengthen the bilateral agricultural trading relationship between the two countries. He spoke of the many benefits of the Canada-U.S. agriculture relationship, and the need for continued cross-border collaboration to ensure the respective agriculture sectors remain globally competitive and prosperous.

The annual SARL summit is the premier meeting of provincial and U.S. state legislators.

Quotes

"This summit is a prime example of the strong agricultural trade partnership that exists between the U.S. and Canada. The U.S. is our closest friend, partner and most important economic relationship. Working together to identify opportunities for our farmers offers them the best opportunity to succeed, grow our economies, and create jobs."

• Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

Quick facts

• In 2015, bilateral trade in agriculture and agri-food between Canada and the U.S. reached $47 billion.
• When it came into effect January 1, 1994, NAFTA created the largest free-trade region in the world. Being the first comprehensive trade agreement of its type, NAFTA has set a valuable example of the benefits of trade liberalization for the rest of the world.

Additional links

• Canada - United States Bilateral Trade
• Canada and United States - At a Glance

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