9:30 am: Welcome and Opening Remarks – Lance Jungmeyer
9:45 am – 10:00 am: Food Safety Comparative Analysis. An industry update on efforts to conduct a side-by-side comparison of food safety laws in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Speaker:
Allison Moore, Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs, Fresh Produce Association of the Americas
10:00 am – 11:00 am:North American Progress of Food Safety Initiatives and Implementation. Officials from Canada, Mexico, and the United States talk about their food safety initiatives and the status of implementation. With each of the three countries having passed expansive new food safety requirements, and with ongoing efforts to implement the new rules, this panel offers attendees to hear the latest on food safety requirements across North America. SPEAKERS:
Hugo Fragoso Sanchez, SENASICA-SAGARPA
Daniel Miller, Executive Director, Food Import/Export & Systems Evaluation, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Introduced by Guillermo Martinez of Wilson Produce
11:00 am -11:20 am: Making the Case for Trade 1. Jobs and the Avocado: Trade drives job creations and economic growth. The Mexican avocado industry set out to conduct an analysis of the economic impact of avocados in the U.S. Using the Impact Analysis and Planning Model (IMPLAN), the avocado industry looks at the direct, indirect, and induced effects of the avocado industry and how the U.S. benefits from trade. Speaker:
Ramon Paz, Avocados from Mexico (APEAM)
Introduced by Brian Bernauer, Calavo Growers, Inc.
11:20 am – 11:50 am:Right Sizing Inspections and Sampling Programs. A closer look at FDA sampling/inspection data and import data across the SW Border. With more and more companies crossing through multiple ports all along the Southwest border, this talk provides an overview of FDA efforts across the district. FDA will also talk about results of recent sampling assignments and how that is helping the agency collect useful data. Speaker:
Todd Cato, Director, Southwest Import District, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Introduced by Scott Vandervoet, Vandervoet & Associates
11:50 am-12:00 pm Break
12:00 pm-12:05 pm:Key Note Speaker Introduction by Event Sponsor Syngenta
12:05 pm – 12:45 pm: Key Note Lunch, Table-top Food Safety Exercise: The Food and Drug Administration knocks on your door for an inspection. What’s next? What should you have already prepared? Do you have to answer every question? How do you minimize disruption to your business while assisting FDA? Come to this interactive session to get some pointers from Domenic Veneziano, formerly of the FDA’s Office of Import Operations. SPEAKER:
12:45 pm -1:05 pm: – $1 Trillion Toward the Future: The Trump Administration has ambitious and unconventional plans for infrastructure spending. How will this impact infrastructure for key routes feeding the border? How will communities and industry have to approach infrastructure funding in this new environment? Speakers:
Britton Clarke and Jim Mullen, The Border Trade Alliance
1:05 pm – 1:50 pm: Success Story of Collaboration. Trade Facilitation, Border Crossings, and the Arizona/Mexico Border. Hear from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Mexican Customs as they talk about Trade, Unified Cargo Processing, the PITA Program, Processing Efficiencies, and more to facilitate trade between the U.S. and Mexico. CBP and Mexican Customs in Nogales are known across both countries for the creation and implementation of Unified Cargo Processing, a program that radically changed the way the U.S. and Mexico collaborate on border efforts. This exciting discussion will further the dialogue on how the U.S. and Mexico are coordinating to better facilitate the flow of goods across the border. SPEAKERS:
Guadalupe Ramirez, (Acting) Director of Field Operations, Tucson Field Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Jose Martin Garcia, Ministry of Finance, Embassy of Mexico
Introduced by Terry Shannon, Jr., Shannon Brokerage Co.
1:50-2:00 pm: Break
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm: Making the Case for Trade 2: Trade has a positive impact on people in the U.S. However, when governments start to pick winners and losers through special carveouts in trade agreements, there can be many negative consequences for trade. This lively session will talk about the benefits of trade and the potential pitfalls when special-interests get involved. SPEAKER:
Bryan Riley, Director of Free Trade Initiatives, National Taxpayers Union
Introduced by Sabrina Hallman, Sierra Seed Company.
2:45 pm – 3:30 pm: NAFTA and the State of Trade in the U.S. Hear from esteemed trade expert Gary Hufbauer of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Formerly Director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a professor at Georgetown University, and a former official at the U.S. Treasury, Gary is sought after for his trade analysis by media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters, USA Today, CNN, and Bloomberg to name a few. You won’t want to miss this behind-the-scenes look at trade and NAFTA in today’s world. SPEAKER:
Gary Hufbauer, Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics
