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Dairy groups support trade deals addressing agriculture, dairy needs

Dairy industry groups support a letter from senators that urges U.S. negotiators to address the needs of agriculture, including dairy issues, in free trade agreements with the European Union.

In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman (FRO-man), 26 bi-partisan senators noted that U.S. agriculture exports to the EU are shrinking because of both tariff and non-tariff trade barriers.

The senators say they’d be less likely to support a deal that doesn’t include a strong agriculture framework.

Of special interest to the dairy groups is that the letter singled out the need to address restrictive requirements on U.S. dairy exports.  It mentions the EU’s efforts to capture the sole use of food names long considered generic in the U.S., such as parmesan, feta and asiago.  Europe argues that the names can only appear on cheeses produced in Italy and Greece.

The senators say the EU’s actions undermine current agreements and those under negotiation, such as the U.S.-EU trade deal known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP).

The dairy groups supporting the senators’ letter include the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the International Dairy Foods Association.