Candidates say NAFTA hurts Fla. farmers

‘Unfair’ trade practices a top concern

Florida’s next agriculture commissioner likely will back White House efforts to change the North American Free Trade Agreement as a way to help the state’s farmers.

Worried about the impact on Florida farmers, state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has been a frequent critic of the 24-year-old trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

But as Putnam prepares to leave the commissioner’s job after the November elections, most of the announced candidates from both parties also point to produce dumping from Mexico as one of the biggest negatives in Florida from the pact, which the Washington, D.C.-based Peterson Institute for International Economics has touted as a boon nationally to sectors ranging from oil and natural gas to beef, apple and soybean growers.

Only David Walker, a marine biologist from Fort Lauderdale and one of two announced Democratic candidates seeking to replace Putnam, voiced straight opposition to a withdrawal from NAFTA.

“Free trade allows for exchange of goods, cheaper prices for consumers, and export income for small and middle size businesses in the state,” Walker said.

The other candidates offered varied approaches they would employ in pushing the White House to help Florida’s agriculture industry.

State Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, echoed the tone of President Donald Trump, saying NAFTA has “choked American jobs, and manufacturing and agriculture have suffocated the most.”

Caldwell also warned that if “unfair trade” practices remain unfixed in a new NAFTA deal, “we can expect Florida-grown goods to disappear from supermarket shelves.”

“American job-creators hire workers with care; Mexican competition pays the lowest possible wage,” Caldwell said. “American farmers stick to strict quality