“Which is no indication that there is an appetite to resume comprehensive trade agreement negotiations.”
Senior VP for trade policy Shawna Morris with the U.S. Dairy Export Council and National Milk Producers Federation tells Brownfield agreements with the United Kingdom, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the Middle East would greatly benefit dairy farmers.
“It’s a lot of places we would love to see a focus on, and unfortunately not enough movement in that direction,” she says.
The USTR did highlight the dispute case with Canada on their dairy quota obligations which Morris says is in ongoing litigation.
“Now we’re in the compliance dance stage of the case,” she explains. “Canada submitted a proposal last month to the U.S. government on what they might do in light of the fact that they lost the case that the U.S. took against them.”
Columbia is one of the top export markets for U.S. dairy products which was under attack last year. Morris says after working with the U.S. government and counterparts in South America, Columbia is upholding their commitments for free trade under the United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
Other groups including FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative echo Morris’ call for new trade agreements.
