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U.S. lawmakers continue to push for Canada’s compliance on dairy trade

A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to know why Canada is still not meeting its dairy obligations under the USMCA agreement.

Eight members of Congress including Ag Committee Republican Leader Glenn GT Thompson, Republican Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, and Democrat Ron Kind of Wisconsin have sent a new letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging them to insist on deeper Canadian reforms to bring that country’s dairy tariff-rate quota system into compliance.

The lawmakers want USDA and the USTR to demonstrate the trade agreement enforcement process works to not only deliver the right findings but to ensure faithful implementation of the agreement.

A USMCA review panel ruled in favor of the United States in January, finding Canada was reserving most of its dairy tariff-rate quotas for exclusive use of Canadian processors, violating the trade deal.  The lawmakers say Canada’s announced changes fall short and change nothing.