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Vilsack says increases in dairy exports will continue

The head of the U.S. Dairy Export Council says he’s more hopeful about tariffs lifting in Mexico than in China.

Tom Vilsack says Mexican tariffs put U.S. dairy products at a competitive disadvantage, but he believes relationships and logistical advantages will buffer trade uncertainty in the short-term, “I believe at the end of the day, NAFTA will be renegotiated, it will be modernized, the tariffs will be lifted, and I think we’ll continue to have a strong marketing opportunity in Mexico.”

He says the council remains committed to increasing U.S. dairy exports by five percent globally over the next five years.

Vilsack says long-range negative effects on the U.S. dairy industry are possible if tariffs remain in place in China. In 2017, the U.S. sold $577 million in dairy products to China, nearly a 50 percent increase over the previous year.