Tag: National Trade Estimate

NMPF Presses USTR on Trade Barriers, New Markets

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) annual National Trade Estimate (NTE) report released Mar. 29 highlights several trade barrier and market access priorities that NMPF and USDEC have pointed out to the agency.

In Oct. 23 comments submitted to USTR as it developed the document, NMPF and USDEC detailed how the United States’ ongoing lack of new tariff-reducing trade agreements and uneven enforcement of existing agreements has put the U.S. dairy industry at a competitive disadvantage. The comments also summarized country-specific barriers that governments around the world are using to impede U.S. dairy exports.

Several of those nontariff barrier concerns were captured in the trade estimate as priorities for USTR, including:

  • Canada’s trade-restrictive administration of its U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement dairy tariff-rate-quotas,
  • Resolving Egypt’s protectionist and inconsistent Halal requirements,
  • Finding a solution for Indonesia’s facility registration delays,
  • Complex EU regulatory requirements that risk clogging trade flows.

NMPF Outlines Export Market Priorities to USTR

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) submitted comments to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on Oct. 28 in response to the agency’s request for more information on foreign obstacles to trade and investment for its annual National Trade Estimate (NTE) report.

Over the last several years, the U.S. dairy industry has been put at a disadvantage by a lack of ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and uneven enforcement of existing agreements. This inaction especially hurts American producers at a time when global demand for dairy products is rising. Given the great importance of exports to the success of the industry, NMPF called for the Administration to negotiate new FTAs and otherwise expand market access for U.S. exporters.

The comments also summarized country-specific barriers that governments around the world are implementing to impede U.S. dairy exports. Those measures include traditional tariffs, the misuse of geographical indications and overly burdensome health and safety regulations that target dairy products. In total, the comments outline trade issues with 37 countries or regions, as well as concerns related to Codex, World Health Organization and World Trade Organization issues.

Through its work with industry partners, NMPF will continue to encourage Congress and the Biden Administration to stand up for U.S. dairy and negotiate trade deals that support American dairy farmers.