The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing today on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Statements from Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) as well as witness testimony from Michael L. Ducker, FedEx; Ryan McCormick, Montana Grain Growers Association; Dave Ricks, Eli Lilly and Company and Lilly Bio-Medicines; and William Roenigk, National Chicken Council supported the U.S. – European Union trade agreement.

TTIP was formally launched this summer with the first round of negotiations held in Washington D.C. The second round to be held in October in Brussels was postponed due to the U.S. government shutdown. A third round is set for December.

IDFA supports the agreement, which has the potential to further open the EU market for U.S. dairy products. One obstacle is the EU’s agenda on geographical indications (GIs). By employing GIs, which provide producers in a specific region the exclusive right to use a particular product name, the EU limits the use of food names that the United States and many other countries recognize as generic. This issue is a top priority for IDFA.

For more information, contact Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.