United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said this week a North American Free Trade Agreement deal must be reached within a week or two of the next meeting of trade negotiators. Jim Monroe with the National Pork Producers Council sees that as positive and is hoping the U.S. follows through and gets the deal resolved.

Lighthizer said he’d rather get an agreement considered with the current Congress rather than risk a shift in priorities in 2019. Monroe is hopeful that will happen.

Monroe says his group will continue to weigh in with the USTR and other negotiators about the importance of concluding a positive deal for U.S. pork producers and agriculture as a whole.

The next round of NAFTA talks are scheduled for next week.