The Georgia poultry industry will continue to enjoy the benefits of free trade between the United States and Mexico after Nafta expires at the end of this year through the efforts of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Export Council, said its president, James Sumner.

“We’re hoping to position ourselves as a North American poultry industry and continue to work together to increase trade, especially between the U.S. and Mexico,” Mr. Sumner told GlobalAtlanta during the 20th Annual Latin American Poultry Congress in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Sept. 25-28.

The export council and the Mexican National Poultry Union recently signed a memorandum of understanding to work on increasing Mexican producers’ access to the U.S. market and to limit any negative impact the ending of Nafta might have. With the resumption of unrestricted trade on Jan. 1, 2008, Mexican producers are concerned that U.S. chicken leg quarters will flood their domestic market, Mr. Sumner explained.

The U.S., Mexican and Canadian poultry councils had already formed the Nafta Egg and Poultry Partnership in 2000 to manage poultry trade among the three nations under the free trade agreement. The partnership was a response to Mexico’s previous fear of U.S. chicken leg quarters “invading” Mexican markets under Nafta, said Cesar de Anda, the partnership’s current chairman.

“Now that Nafta will end, we will have a new challenge to work together to increase the volume of trade between our two countries,” Mr. De Anda told GlobalAtlanta during a meeting at the annual poultry conference.

Even under Nafta, Mexican poultry products have not made much headway in U.S. markets, Mr. Sumner said. “It’s somewhat embarrassing to say, but even after 15 years, trade is still basically one way,” he said.

The 600 members of the Mexican poultry producers association are looking forward to a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. to increase Mexican exports to the American market, association president Jaime Crivelli told GlobalAtlanta. Mr. Crivelli hopes to sign the MOU with representatives of the U.S. export council in December of January. The Mexican and U.S. councils are working to have each country’s secretary of agriculture witness the signing.

Contact Mr. Sumner at (770) 413-0006 or james.sumner@usapec.org. Visit www.usapeec.org. Visit www.avicultura2007.com.br for information about the Latin American Poultry Congress.