The National Farmers Union board has endorsed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade “on a split vote after a spirited debate,” National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson told The Hagstrom Report in an email late Tuesday.

The changes made as a result of the House Democrats working with Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer “are what lead to the positive vote,” Johnson said. “Specifically, it was the removal of the pharmaceutical provisions which would have led to higher health care costs, the tightened labor enforcement provisions, and the ISDS (Investor-State Dispute Settlement) removal/weakening which were all viewed positively and weighed in favor.”

Johnson added, “The lack of COOL (country of origin labeling for red meat), lack of anti-dumping strengthening, and undercutting of the Canadian dairy supply management provisions were all viewed negatively.”

The Democratic-leaning NFU has not been enthusiastic about trade agreements and did not endorse the North American Free Trade Agreement, the predecessor to the USMCA.