“Mexico is our largest export customer, and for the U.S. dairy industry, that accounts for $1.4 billion in product sales. Closing the border with Mexico will leave a devastating impact on dairy farmers across the U.S., a relationship that was painstakingly built over the past several years by industry organizations,” says Jeff Lyon, FarmFirst General Manager.
More than 20 years have been dedicated to increasing U.S. dairy export volumes to Mexico, building a strong trade relationship but also a valuable channel of safe, quality food products for Mexicans and their families to enjoy.
“This decision will put immense pressure on these trade relationships, threatening if the U.S. dairy industry will have an export market to return to once the border is reopened. We ask that the Trump administration rescind their decision to close the border, for the sake of all U.S. agriculture and the Mexico citizens that rely on U.S. dairy products for quality nutrition for them and their families.”
For every $1 of U.S. dairy exports to Mexico, $2.50 is generated as economic activity in the U.S., according to Informa Economics.
“This trade relationship with Mexico has come to mean a lot for U.S. dairy farmers. For that trading opportunity to be lost would leave a devastating gap for the U.S. dairy industry. For dairy farmers struggling to manage through these very tough economic times, this may be their worst blow yet, even with the past four years of low milk prices,” says Lyon. “In no way should U.S. dairy farmers be the bargaining piece for these immigration issues.”