The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) last week requested written comments from U.S. companies and other stakeholders to identify significant barriers to trade that they face around the world. USTR will include the information in next year’s National Trade Estimate Report, which U.S. trade negotiators use as a resource when working to reduce and eliminate significant barriers that stifle U.S. exports.

IDFA plans to submit comments by October 25, USTR’s deadline, and asks members to send information on trade barriers that affect their companies by September 25 to Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.

“This is an opportunity for dairy companies to be heard on the specific and significant trade barriers they face in many different countries,” said Hughes. “USTR captured several issues of concern to IDFA and its members in the 2017 report. Including our concerns in this upcoming report will bring visibility to obstacles standing in the way of growing dairy markets in countries like Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia.”

In 2016, IDFA submitted comments highlighting obstacles to trade that the U.S. dairy industry faces in Canada, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. USTR captured several of these issues in its 500-page report released in April 2017, including the expanded use of geographical indications to protect the use of common food names, high tariffs and restrictive regulations in several countries.

USTR will publish the 2018 National Trade Estimate Report next spring.

For reference, read “Request for Comments To Compile the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers.”