IDFA continues efforts to press Canada to allow fair market access for U.S. dairy products by finding more outlets and opportunities to share the message with U.S. and Canadian audiences.

Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO, was interviewed by CTV News, Canada’s 24-hour news network, for an evening news segment that highlighted Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland’s meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan and his comments about fair access for U.S. dairy. It also touched on the meeting between President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

“As we think about renegotiating NAFTA, we will want to make sure we’re there at the table to express our concern about the protectionist policies of Canada,” Dykes said in the interview. View the two-minute segment here.

Dairy Foods Magazine

In addition, the February issue of Dairy Foods magazine featured a column by Beth Hughes, IDFA director of international affairs, titled “Canada is up to no good with its trade policies.” 

Hughes explained that a new wave of protectionist trade policies from Canada started last April when the province of Ontario implemented a new dairy ingredients strategy, creating a new ingredient class that is priced to compete with imports. The strategy has had a negative impact on U.S. companies selling ultra-filtered milk to Canadian processors, who for years have imported the products duty-free under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to make cheese.

Noting that fair access to the Canadian market is important for the industry and the health of the U.S. economy, Hughes said, “IDFA will insist on fair treatment and immediate action by the new administration,” she said. “This is a trade priority for IDFA going forward, and until Canada starts playing by the rules, we’ll keep pounding at their door,” she concluded.

For more information, contact Hughes at bhughes@idfa.org.