Senate should cooperate with Agriculture Canada working groups, Senator Rob Black says.OTTAWA—A special Senate study of the impacts of three free trade deals on the country's dairy and poultry farmers has received more time to complete its work in recognition of several developments since it was agreed to in late October.Without a legal text of the USMCA to study and with the creation of Agriculture Canada working groups for the dairy and poultry sectors, Senator Rob Black asked that the Senate agriculture committee be given until March 31 to finish its study although it would likely be completed before then.The committee will also look at the impact of the Europe and Pacific trade deals under which Canada has agreed to allow increased imports of dairy and poultry products that could in time account for about 20 per cent of the current Canadian dairy production.Originally the study was to be complete by Dec. 6 to give it time to be discussed before Parliament starts its Christmas break in mid-December. While the USMCA may be signed at the end of November, it still has to be ratified by Parliament and the U.S. and Mexican Congresses. It's anyone's guess when that might occur.Black requested the extension because Canadian, American and Mexican officials are still giving the USMCA a “legal scrub” to make sure the words in the agreement properly convey what the negotiators for the three countries agreed to. There have been allegations the Trump administration has attempted to tweak the wording of deal in its favour.Black said, “There are still some things in flux.”He also the study should proceed in side-by-side with the working groups. “I think there is opportunity for us to work together and maybe contribute collectively.”Committee chairwoman Diane Griffin said the time extension to the study made sense as “there is still some fine tuning going on … we don't have final information yet.”The working groups have had preliminary meetings with dairy and poultry producers and processors but can only go so far until the legal review of the text of the USMCA is finished and agreed on. That should presumably occur sometime this month if the prime minister and presidents are to sign it at the end of November.Black proposed the study “hear from the supply management sector on the trade deals and what their thinking is.” It could bring all the issues confronting the two working groups into public view.The working groups are to develop mitigation strategies to fully and fairly support farmers and processors to help them adjust to the short-term impacts of the USMCA along with the other trade deals.They will chart a path forward to help the dairy and poultry sectors innovate and remain an important source of jobs and economic growth for future generations. Supporting expertise to the working group may also include academic leaders, as well as industry and financial experts, as necessary.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.