The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released last week the 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and 2018 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program. These reports are submitted annually to Congress by March 1.

The 2019 Trade Policy Agenda focuses on rebalancing U.S. trade efforts, including passage of the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and the U.S.-Korea agreement (KORUS). It also covers enforcing trade agreements, such as the investigation into China’s treatment of U.S. intellectual property, and pursuing new agreements with Japan, the European Union and the United Kingdom.

The 2018 Annual Report details the outcomes of USMCA, including two of IDFA’s top priorities in the negotiations: the elimination of Canada’s Class 6 and 7 pricing programs and increased market access for U.S. dairy products into the Canadian market. The report also mentions geographical indications, saying the United States will continue to oppose efforts that use GIs as barriers to trade.

Read the 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and 2018 Annual Report here.

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