Livingston International Pushing Against 'Wholesale Rewrite' of NAFTA
Livingston International is working to prevent drastic changes to NAFTA that the company believes "would lead to job loss in key sectors, such as automotive and agriculture, while raising the price of everyday consumer goods," it said in a blog post. Still, "in the event there are substantial changes to NAFTA or a termination of the agreement, Livingston will have solutions in place to ensure businesses are able to adjust to the new trade rules with limited disruption to trade flows and operations," it said.
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The company is advocating on NAFTA on several fronts, including through meetings with U.S. lawmakers, CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency, it said. "While Livingston supports the modernization of NAFTA, we do not support a wholesale rewrite of the agreement, which would cause immeasurable economic and industrial disruption, particularly to those companies that have heavily invested in highly integrated continental supply chains," the company said. Though many others in North America feel similarly, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative "thus far has aggressively pursued dramatic changes to key aspects of the agreement," Livingston said. "These include increasing the U.S. value content of automotive components, eliminating dispute-resolution mechanisms and the introduction of a five-year sunset clause, among others."