BERLIN — While 2025 was a year in produce defined by tariffs, 2026 will likely focus on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), slated for its first six-year joint review on July 1, 2026.
At last week’s Fruit Logistica, The Packer sat down with Canadian Produce Marketing Association President Ron Lemaire, who has repeatedly urged for the full 16-year renewal of USMCA, to discuss the current state of negotiations, reasons for optimism and what the industry needs to do now ahead of July.
“Starting in 2026, I was quite optimistic. We had good consultations on USMCA in the U.S. as well as in Mexico and Canada, and there was a willingness from the produce sector to look at doing no harm to USMCA, but trying to find improvements where necessary,” he says. “I think the primary goal for our sector is, let’s keep the trilateral deal in play.”
One challenge, says Lemaire, is talk of the U.S. government pursuing a bilateral rather than trilateral agreement.
“When meeting with officials with the U.S. government, there has been a lot of discussion on having more bilateral deals than trilateral, and I know for our sector, that would be a challenge relative to the administrative burden — the time and the challenges that we would all face relative to how efficiently we can run our businesses,” he says.
“The trilateral deal works, and I think moving into the review process, everyone has to do their part in messaging that to their governments,” he adds.
In recent meetings of North American leaders, like the 2026 State Agriculture and Rural Leaders (SARL) Legislative Agriculture Chairs Summit, which convened state and provincial legislators from the U.S. and Canada to address agricultural policy, technology and rural community strengthening, Lemaire has seen reasons for optimism.
“We were very happy going to SARL, the State Agricultural Rural Leaders, meeting in New Orleans in early January and hearing from state legislators that they are believers in the trilateral deal and the importance of working collaboratively with stakeholders in Canada, as well as stakeholders in Mexico,” Lemaire says. “So, there’s a lot of moving parts, but I think it’s positive to see the provincial- and state-level collaboration that hopefully will resonate up to the federal level.”
The July 2026 USMCA review is a high-stakes juncture that will determine whether the U.S., Canada and Mexico extend the trade pact to 2036 or initiate its termination. Key stakes include restructuring auto industry rules, addressing energy and agriculture disputes, preventing major disruptions to more than a trillion in annual regional trade and more.
Lemaire cautions the produce industry to ensure it doesn’t get swept into other trade deals on the table in July.
“USMCA is going to be a primary focus [for the produce industry], especially when we lead into June and July,” he says. “I’m part of a group, a coalition of North American trade that not only includes fruit and vegetables but also automotive, steel and aluminum. And I think those are the moving parts we have to be continually watching, because we can control our sector, but it is the demands outside of our sector that are really going to influence what USMCA looks like going forward.”
“So, it’s vital that we start expanding our networks, to start working with those other commercial sectors that are influenced and impacted by USMCA to ensure that we’re not collateral damage and that pushes to change USMCA that may be detrimental to feeding our nations [are not realized],” he continues.
The message the produce industry must push forward, Lemaire says, is how USMCA supports North American consumers’ access to nutritious and affordable food.
“We’re dealing with food inflation. We’re dealing with high costs of inputs. We’re dealing with growers who aren’t able to be profitable,” says Lemaire. “And when you start seeing these changes impacting our food supply, it’s vital that we find the most efficient, cost-effective trading mechanisms so that we don’t add to the burden which we’re already all experiencing, not only in the U.S. but also in Canada and Mexico and around the world.
“It’s a global change happening right now on the cost of food, so the simplest way to deal with it is to find efficiencies,” he says. “And the first efficiency is a free trade deal.”
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