NMPF Encourages Government Collaboration to Support Dairy Exports
August 5, 2019
NMPF and its USDEC colleagues sent a letter July 12 to FDA and USDA encouraging the agencies to negotiate and make final a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a smooth-functioning interagency process to support dairy exports, citing the indispensable role such exports play in supporting U.S. dairy farms.
“A successful MOU should outline key roles and responsibilities of each agency in order to foster the ability of the agencies to work in a collaborative manner on the various tasks involved in keeping American-made dairy products flowing freely abroad,” NMPF and USDEC wrote.
FDA has taken proactive steps in recent years to work in conjunction with USDA and better support the U.S. dairy industry in facilitating exports around the world. But more work remains.
Without careful coordination within the dairy industry, disagreement and communication breakdowns can derail export avenues. The MOU would tackle this challenge and proactively eliminate obstacles to expanding trade opportunities for the U.S. dairy industry.
