The following statement was issued by Jaime Castaneda, Senior Vice President and Senior Trade Policy Advisor of the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council, regarding the cessation of the latest World Trade Organization negotiations in Geneva:
“America’s dairy farmers and processors had a great deal riding on whether a new WTO agreement would result from the latest ministerial negotiations held this past week in Switzerland. We hoped that an agreement could be reached that would win the support of the dairy producer sector, as well as the many processors with a strong interest in expanding U.S. exports of dairy products. On the other hand, we also were apprehensive that a bad deal for our industry could be a possible result. In the end, we believe it’s better to have no deal than a bad deal.
We appreciate the hard work of our trade negotiators, led by Ambassador Susan Schwab and Chief Economist Joe Glauber, who were steadfast in their insistence that any successful Doha round agreement must create new export opportunities for our agricultural products, in both developed and developing countries. Without achieving that goal, there could be no agreement.
The U.S. provided leadership by making a bold proposal to reduce its domestic farm supports, but that offer was not countered in any meaningful way with equivalent offers of additional market access, in particular from the developing countries. Negotiations cannot be one-sided if they are to reach consensus.
On behalf of their members, USDEC and NMPF strongly urge trade negotiators to continue to try to work towards resolution of these important issues as soon as possible, in order to make greater strides towards the goal of a more balanced trading environment around the world.
Both NMPF and USDEC will continue to support balanced trade agreements that represent new export opportunities for our dairy industry. Perhaps another day, that also will include a new WTO agreement.”
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF’s 31 cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 40,000 dairy producers of Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit www.nmpf.org.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the export trade interest of U.S. milk producers, proprietary processors, dairy cooperatives, and export traders. Its mission is to enhance the international demand for U.S. dairy products and assist the industry to increase the volume and value of exports. USDEC accomplishes this through market development programs that build overseas demand for U.S. dairy products, resolving market access barriers and advancing the industry’s trade policy goals. USDEC activities are supported by staff in Mexico, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, South America, Middle East and Europe. Website: www.usdec.org.
