August 12, 2020

US dairy group hails senators' efforts against unfair trade tactics

Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative praised the efforts of 61 US senators to protect dairy exports against unjustified trade barriers in future trade contracts as they relate to names of cheeses, reported Perishable News.

Senators John Thune, R-South Dakota, Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina led this effort, and almost every senator within Edge's Midwestern footprint joined in.

The letter, dated July 30, urges the Office of the US Trade Representative and the US Department of Agriculture to establish a core policy objective in trade discussions to secure market access assurances for common food names, which is especially important for dairy farmers and cheese processors.

The effort is directed at the US' leading dairy export competitor, the EU, which uses trade agreements to block American-produced cheese from using common cheese names like feta, parmesan and gouda in international markets. Instead, US processors are forced to label their cheeses with non-traditional names unfamiliar to customers.

Most of the billions of pounds of milk that Edge members, which represents farmers throughout the Midwest, produce each year is made into cheese.

Statement from Brody Stapel, president of Edge and a dairy farmer in eastern Wisconsin, "Our dairy farmer members continue to emphasise the importance of expanding exports through free and fair trade agreements. The EU's use of geographical indications to obstruct the use of common cheese names is a direct threat to our ability to increase dairy exports around the world. Establishing stronger safeguards against these anti-competitive tactics will help level the playing field.

"This is why we are extremely pleased that so many senators have endorsed this key objective. We thank each senator who signed on to the letter and we especially commend the work of Senators Thune, Baldwin, Stabenow and Tillis to elevate this issue on behalf of our dairy farmers and cheese processors.

"As we come off the fresh implementation of the USMCA trade agreement, we look forward to further growing US dairy's place in the global market. Support like this from those senators will greatly help."