Market Integration of the North American Animal Products Complex

by William Hahn, Mildred Haley, Dale Leuck, James Miller, Janet Perry, Fawzi Taha, and Steven Zahniser

The beef, pork, and poultry industries of Mexico, Canada, and the United States have tended to become more economically integrated over the past two decades. Sanitary barriers, which are designed to protect people and animals from diseases, are some of the most significant barriers to fuller integration of meat and animal markets. In addition, diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, have caused major disruptions to beef and cattle trade.

Keywords: Livestock trade, meat trade, poultry trade, United States, Mexico, Canada, North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, trade barriers, nontariff barriers, sanitary barriers, market integration

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