Global Ag View: Mexican border closure 'disaster' for US farmers

The President last week threatened to close the border to halt illegal immigration, but later said the US would give people a one-year warning. The US was also the most important export market for Mexican agriculture.

American NFU president Roger Johnson said closure would risk essential trade and the country’s reputation.

He said it would result in lost markets and lower prices for farmers.

He added: “For two years, President Trump has dug American agriculture into a deep hole. We have lost markets that took decades to build and, worse yet, we have lost our reputation as a reliable trading partner.

“Threats to close our border worsen this reputation, digging our hole deeper and depressing farm prices for years to come.”

He added many farms were already under ‘dire financial strain’ because of drops in prices over the past five years and the President’s approach to trade had exacerbated the situation.

“In order to begin to fill the hole he has single-handedly dug, he must work to repair relationships, not make them worse.”

The National Pork Producers Council president, David Herring, urged the Government to carefully consider the effect on farms, as the industry could not afford to lose the Mexican market.