Seventh Round of NAFTA Talks Underway in Mexico City With NAFTA negotiators meeting in Mexico City for the seventh round of talks, media outlets unleashed a flurry of reports assessing progress and potential pitfalls. Here are the three things you need to know: Negotiation status. Media reports suggest negotiators will focus on issues related to automobiles, services, and energy, with little word on agriculture. The threat of an imminent U.S. withdrawal has subsided but tensions remain high following the abrupt cancellation of a proposed meeting between President Trump and President Pena Nieto. Timeline. After the seventh round wraps up on March 5th, it is assumed that negotiators will meet again in Washington D.C. at end of the month. The Mexican Presidential elections could complicate the end-of-March timeline to conclude negotiations, but Mexican officials have indicated they will be able to stay at the negotiating table in the lead-up to the election on July 1st. NCBA's position. We continue to encourage all NAFTA parties to conclude the talks expeditiously and protect duty-free access for U.S. beef. NAFTA: Not the Only Game in Town Canada and Mexico represent two of the largest export markets for U.S. beef, accounting for roughly $2 billion in annual sales. But other fast-growing regions around the world present additional opportunities for U.S. producers. Asia-Pacific: 2017 was another record year for U.S. exports to the region, buoyed by nearly $2 billion worth of sales in Japan and over $1 billion in South Korea. However, the picture is not all rosy: On March 8th, the 11 remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership are scheduled to sign a revised agreement that does not include the U.S. Central America: A recent report from the USDA demonstrates the transformative impact a trade agreement can have on U.S. beef exports. Since a trade agreement with Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua was implemented in 2006, U.S. beef exports to the five countries have grown by 641%.