Implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began on January 1, 1994. This agreement will remove most barriers to trade and investment among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Under the NAFTA, all non-tariff barriers to agricultural trade between the United States and Mexico were eliminated. In addition, many tariffs were eliminated immediately, with others being phased out over periods of 5 to 15 years.  This allowed for an orderly adjustment to free trade with Mexico, with full implementation beginning January 1, 2008. 

The agricultural provisions of the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement, in effect since 1989, were incorporated into the NAFTA. Under these provisions, all tariffs affecting agricultural trade between the United States and Canada, with a few exceptions for items covered by tariff-rate quotas, were removed by January 1, 1998.

Mexico and Canada reached a separate bilateral NAFTA agreement on market access for agricultural products. The Mexican-Canadian agreement eliminated most tariffs either immediately or over 5, 10, or 15 years. Tariffs between the two countries affecting trade in dairy, poultry, eggs, and sugar are maintained.

	NAFTA Agricultural Fact Sheet (January 2008)
	Fact Sheet: NAFTA Myth vs. Fact (03/03/08)
	FAS Helps Electrify Countries in Latin America and Asia (March 27, 2008; .pdf)
	— NAFTA And Benefits To U.S. And Mexican Ag Trade (USDA Radio News; 01/22/08 - real, mp3, wave) — U.S. and Mexico Agree No Need To Renegotiate NAFTA (USDA Radio News; 01/22/08 - real, mp3, wave) — USDA Official Says Sugar Producers Plan Detracts From NAFTA (USDA Radio News; 01/22/08 - real, mp3, wave) — Working Group Addresses U.S. And Mexican Livestock Issues (USDA Radio News; 01/23/08 - real, mp3, wave) — U.S., Mexico Work On Sanitary And Phytosanitary Trade Barriers (USDA Radio News; 01/24/08 - real, mp3, wave) — Working Group Helps Mexican Bean And Corn Growers (USDA Radio News; 01/25/08 - real, mp3, wave)
	U.S.-Mexican Officials Meet To Discuss NAFTA (01/11/08)
	Statement by Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner on the Full Implementation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (01/02/08)
	Joint Statement on 2007 NAFTA Commission Meeting (U.S. Trade Representative; 08/14/07)
	Schwab Announces Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to Serve on Prestigious NAFTA Roster of Judges (U.S. Department of State; 06/04/07)
	NAFTA at 13: Implementation Nears Completion (Economic Research Service; 03/27/06)
	View a Benefits of NAFTA PowerPoint Presentation | Download the PowerPoint (June 2006)
	Strengthening NAFTA Through U.S.–Mexican Cooperation in Agriculture (March 2007;.pdf)
	NAFTA: A Strong Record of Success (March 2006)
	NAFTA Myths (.pdf; May 2005)
	Benefits of NAFTA (May 2005) View a Benefits of NAFTA PowerPoint Presentation | Download the PowerPoint (May 2005)
	Text of NAFTA
	Chapter 7(A): Agriculture Chapter 7(B): Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
	AgExporter Magazine, Special NAFTA Issue (01/04)  Ten Years of NAFTA Have Changed the Face of U.S.-Mexican-Canadian Trade  (.pdf) Charting the Progress of North American Trade (.pdf) Gauging NAFTA'S Success and Confronting Future Challenges (.pdf) Achieving Market Integration (.pdf) Canada and NAFTA: A 10-Year Measure of Success in Canadian-U.S. Agricultural Trade (.pdf) Mexico's NAFTA Experience (.pdf) NAFTA: A Win-Win Proposition for U.S. Producers (.pdf) NAFTA: A Clear Success for U.S. and Mexican Textile and  Cotton Trade (.pdf) U.S. Wheat and Corn Exports to Mexico Thrive Under NAFTA (.pdf) NAFTA Contributes to Growth in U.S. Soybean Exports to Mexico (.pdf) NAFTA Spells Success for Consumer-Oriented Products-With Some Reservations (.pdf) Articles in FAS Worldwide Magazine about NAFTA: Top Markets of the Americas (.pdf; March 2005)
	USDA's Economic Research Service's NAFTA resources: NAFTA Briefing Room North America Moves Toward One Market (Amber Waves Magazine; June 2005) Market Integration of the North American Animal Products Complex (Outlook Report; May 2005) NAFTA at 11: The Growing Integration of North American Agriculture (Outlook Report; February 2005) U.S.–Mexico Corn Trade During the NAFTA Era: New Twists to an Old Story (Outlook Report; May 2004) NAFTA's Impact on U.S. Agriculture: The First 3 Years (Agricultural Outlook Magazine; September 1997) NAFTA Trade and Economic Database, 1990–1996 (archived database; September 1996) Contact an ERS Expert on NAFTA
	U.S. Trade Representative's NAFTA Web page NAFTA at 10
	FAS Communications to Congress: The Benefits of NAFTA for U.S. Agriculture (04/20/04; View PowerPoint presentation  |  Download PowerPoint Presentation)
	NAFTA Agriculture Fact Sheets: Commodities and Other Topics (January 1998)