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Walker confirms Trump dairy trade discussion

President Donald Trump has discussed the Canadian dairy trade issues in detail with Wisconsin officials.  Following through on a promise made last Tuesday, Governor Scott Walker says Trump did call to talk about their options concerning Canada’s dairy trade policies.  “Wednesday already, we had a callback from the Chief of Staff to the President who happens to be from Wisconsin, Reince Priebus.  He later that day set up a conference call with me, my Secretary of Agriculture (Ben Brancel).

 

Trump told a crowd at Snap-On Tools in Kenosha he will take care of dairy farmers.

Walker and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo sent Canadian officials a letter seeking an end to their new dairy ingredients strategy, but Walker says getting the President involved was necessary after the Canadian response.  “We got a pretty intense snapback from Canadian officials, and that they’re digging in, so I’m mindful of the fact that it’s not going to be easy, but that’s exactly why we’ve asked the President and the White House to get involved.”

 

U.S. dairy producers and government leaders believe the new Canadian dairy policy is a violation of NAFTA trade terms.   Canada says the oversupply of milk is an American problem.  Trump has said he will decide what to do within two weeks.  He says if NAFTA can’t be fixed, he’s willing to get rid of it.

Dairy farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York have lost buyers for their milk after processors including Grassland lost ultra-filtered milk markets in Canada.

 

Walker made his comments Friday during a stop in Abbotsford, Wisconsin.