North American agriculture officials gather to strengthen international trade and food security across the globe

Press Release

ARLINGTON, Va. - Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and their provincial counterparts from Canada and states from Mexico issued a joint communiqué underscoring the role of states and provinces in protecting food security and improving the competitiveness of North American trade during the 34^th annual Tri-National Agricultural Accord.

NASDA Board Member and Arizona's Director of Agriculture Paul Brierley led the U.S. delegation.

"North America is a critical trading block for our countries of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. By working together as a North American alliance, we increase access to food for everyone and create opportunities for farmers, ranchers and food producers across all our communities. We will act on last week's discussions to better equip our farming and ranching communities against animal diseases and harmful pests and facilitate cross-border collaboration to promote innovation in agriculture, natural resource conservation and science-based trade policy," NASDA Board Member Paul Brierley said. "The Tri-National Agricultural Accord Delegates also reiterated our absolute support for continuation of the USMCA/T-MEC/CUSMA trade agreement for another 16 years as it provides a predictable, science-based framework that enables mutually beneficial trade and reduces or eliminates barriers, including tariffs, to trade of agriculture and food products across North America."

In recognition of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, delegates also acknowledged the critical role of women in agriculture and reaffirmed the need to enhance inclusion and representation of women in the sector.

In addition to the joint communiqué, a statement from tri-lateral meetings and statements from the U.S.-Canada, U.S.-Mexico and Canada-Mexico bilateral meetings were published at the accord.

Prior to last week's annual gathering, delegates also met at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, for an animal disease preparedness tabletop exercise hosted by USDA Animal and Health Inspection Service in August 2025. States and provinces exchanged updates on animal disease outbreaks and will continue to identify opportunities for improved coordination and information sharing to build on these efforts.

The Tri-National Agricultural Accord is the primary opportunity for senior state and provincial agricultural officials of the United States, Canada and Mexico to work together on agricultural trade and development issues. The accord represents a longstanding commitment to collaboration on trade between the three countries, and the current meeting arrangement dates back to 1992. Alberta will host the 35^th Tri-National Agricultural Accord in Calgary on Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2026.

###

NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and four U.S. territories. NASDA grows and enhances American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. To learn more about NASDA and its trade programs and trade policy, please visit https://www.nasda.org.