Free Trade Agreements

ITC Testimony Outlines Negative Consequences of U.S.-New Zealand FTA: February 18, 2010

In testimony to the International Trade Commission (ITC), NMPF reiterated its opposition to the inclusion of U.S.-New Zealand dairy trade within the regional Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) FTA. The testimony outlined the strong anti-competitive practices within the New Zealand dairy industry and its global manipulation of dairy markets.

 

NMPF Insists on Total Exclusion of U.S.-New Zealand Dairy Trade in TPP: January 25, 2010

In a letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), NMPF again pressed for full exclusion of New Zealand’s dairy products in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. Although NMPF believed in the importance of balanced trade and in the potential for well-negotiated trade agreements to benefit the U.S. dairy industry as a whole, each agreement must be judged on its own merits.

A U.S.-New Zealand TPP would negatively impact the U.S. dairy industry. NMPF estimated that milk prices received by producers would drastically drop and gross revenues received by U.S. dairy farmers would plunge by a cumulative $20 billion over the first 10 years of the FTA if U.S. dairy restrictions on exports from New Zealand were fully phased out in the TPP FTA.

The letter is available here. Members of the Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus also sent a letter to USTR Ambassador Ron Kirk expressing their support for exclusion of U.S.-New Zealand dairy trade under the TPP.

 

Dairy Groups Urge USTR to Oppose U.S.-New Zealand TPP Trade Agreement: December 17, 2009

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in response to USTR’s notification of Congress that the U.S. intended to proceed with negotiations to create a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. The TPP talks would include New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Brunei, and Vietnam. NMPF had long stated that a non-WTO trade agreement like this was no place for dealing with the complex and greatly imbalanced dairy trade relationship between the U.S. and New Zealand.

In the letter, NMPF and USDEC reaffirmed opposition to the inclusion of any U.S.-New Zealand dairy trade in the TPP negotiations. NMPF also insisted on the importance of not reopening existing FTAs, including the agreement with Australia that maintains the vast majority of dairy tariffs on imports from Australia.

The letter is available here. NMPF and USDEC also released a joint press release on the TPP trade agreement.

 

NMPF Issues Brief on Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA: November 23, 2009

These talking points related to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) FTA between New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, and Brunei. Read the full document here.

 

Dairy Organizations Provide Comments on Korea, Colombia FTAs: September 10, 2009

In response to a request from the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) submitted joint comments on the Korea – U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) and the U.S. – Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (CTPA).

The comments for the KORUS FTA are available here, while the comments for the CTPA are available here.

 

NMPF to Fight Inclusion of New Zealand's Dairy Products in Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA: September 22, 2008

When the Bush Administration announced on September 22, 2008, that it would pursue a free trade pact with New Zealand (a deal that also included the countries of Chile, Singapore, Brunei), NMPF stated it would seek the full exclusion of New Zealand’s dairy products under this Transpacific free trade agreement because of the New Zealand dairy industry’s unique structure and excessive manipulation of dairy markets globally and in the U.S. Read the full press release here.

 

Letter to Members of Congress: August 5, 2008

NMPF President and CEO Jerry Kozak sent this letter to members of Congress on August 5, 2008, to voice the dairy industry's strong opposition to any trade agreement with New Zealand. Since the collapse of the WTO talks in Geneva earlier this year, NMPF was concerned that that could cause initiatives for other trade agreements to gain momentum. Read the full letter here.