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May 16, 2003 The Honorable George W. Bush President of the United States of America 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President: It is with profound regret and concern that we are writing to you. The NAFTA, our most important free trade agreement, is being unilaterally re-negotiated by Mexico. Our industries and growers are concerned by Mexico's actions. Just as the NAFTA envisioned for industries on both sides of the border, Mexico became our number one or two export market and a critical component of our sales. Our industries now depend upon the NAFTA to protect major elements of our sales opportunities. As a result, we believe the Mexico situation is the single most important trade and market access issue for the export-oriented agriculture community. We firmly believe that the U.S. must be prepared to make it crystal clear that Mexico will pay a cost for these continued unilateral efforts to renegotiate the NAFTA. Otherwise it signals that trade agreements are of virtually no value, and as historically very pro-trade industries, this is not something we assert lightly. Mr. President, time is of the essence. The most important step you can take to shore up support in pro-trade agriculture for new trade initiatives is to demonstrate your eagerness to ensure that the NAFTA markets are open. We call upon you to do everything within your power to rectify this situation. Sincerely, National Corn Growers Association Corn Refiners Association National Pork Producers Council USA Rice Federation Northwest Fruit Exporters National Cattlemen's Beef Association National Dry Bean Council For more information on the corn refining industry, visit the Corn Capsules newsletter page. 
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