Agriculture Chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

NAFTA's Agricultural Chapter established the framework for the gradual liberalization of agricultural trade between Mexico, the United States and Canada. This historic agreement progressively eliminated tariff and non-tariff barriers in the agricultural sector over a 15-year period. It included specific provisions for sensitive products such as corn, beans and milk powder, establishing quotas and longer transition periods. The chapter also established special safeguard mechanisms to protect domestic producers during the transition period and created a trilateral committee to oversee implementation.