IDFA, along with the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, flagging two issues important to the U.S. dairy industry that it said still need attention and resolution in the modernized North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The groups urged the officials to call attention to geographical indications (GIs) issues and Canada’s high tariffs on U.S. dairy products as negotiators wrap up their talks.
Mexico recently agreed to the European Union’s demands to restrict the use of common cheese names, such as feta. If left unchecked, the U.S. dairy industry will lose considerable sales in its top market for cheese exports, the dairy groups said. Furthermore, the numerous market access barriers, including the Class 7 milk pricing regime, the U.S. dairy industry faces in Canada must be also be resolved to provide a level playing field, they said.
Negotiators from the United States and Mexico continue to meet this week in Washington, D.C., with the goal of reaching an agreement on NAFTA by August 15. Once a U.S. and Mexico agreement is reached, IDFA expects that Canada will be compelled to come to the table and a trilateral deal can be struck by the end of August.
Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO, serves as a cleared advisor to negotiators and advocates for NAFTA provisions that address the issues most important to the U.S. dairy industry.
For more information, contact Beth Hughes, IDFA senior director of international affairs, at bhughes@idfa.org.