Tag: U.S. Argentina dairy

U.S. Dairy Welcomes U.S.-Argentina Trade Agreement

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) celebrated the signing of a U.S.–Argentina Agreement on Reciprocal Trade and Investment late yesterday that includes tariff and nontariff barrier concessions for U.S. dairy exports.

Argentina commits in the trade deal to eliminate tariffs that currently range up to 28 percent on select dairy products, including milk powders, dairy proteins, lactose, and other dairy ingredients. The agreement also establishes a 1,000 metric ton quota for certain U.S. cheeses. In addition to tariff reductions, Argentina agrees to prevent several nontariff barriers, including refraining from imposing processing facility registration requirements on U.S. dairy exports and providing explicit protections for 39 common cheese names like “parmesan”.

“The commitments secured in the U.S.-Argentina reciprocal trade deal bring new, real opportunities for our dairy exports to South America,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “USDEC appreciates USTR’s hard work in securing agreements that lower tariffs and meaningfully address nontariff barriers, particularly those to protect common cheese names. We look forward to building our market presence in Argentina as the agreement is implemented.”

“Trade deals like this one bring dairy farmers promise for the future,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “Dairy farms operate 365 days a year, and the U.S. negotiating team is keeping pace to secure new market access. NMPF will continue to work with the Administration as all the reciprocal trade agreements are translated into real results on the ground for our farmers.”

“Argentina’s commitment to protect 39 common cheese names and 10 generic meat terms could not have come at a more important time,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “As the European Union is advancing toward implementation of its trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of countries, our ability to use common names is increasingly at risk. We cannot thank Ambassador Greer and the USTR negotiating team enough for the foresight and leadership in protecting U.S. exporters’ rights.”

The trade deal follows reciprocal trade agreements that the United States signed recently with El Salvador and Guatemala last week that included commitments to prevent barriers to U.S. dairy exports. USDEC and NMPF will continue to work with the U.S. government as the reciprocal trade negotiations progress to identify and address impediments to dairy trade and grow U.S. export opportunities.

U.S. Dairy Announces New Collaboration to Lead on Climate

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) announced today the signing of a set of principles and a new partnership with the National Agricultural Organizations (FARM) from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia and Colombia to constructively engage governments and international organizations around the world on the issues of livestock, agriculture, climate and trade.

Far too often, global convenings and climate proposals reflect ideologies at the expense of science, ignore progress that the industry has made in reducing emissions, and try to impose one-size-fits-all approaches on an industry they do not fully understand.

In collaboration with the National Agriculture Organizations (FARM), and the Pan-American Dairy Federation (FEPALE), USDEC and NMPF will coordinate and support engagements with government officials and international organizations in promoting policies that encourage sustainable productivity growth while taking into consideration the unique needs of the livestock industry as well as profitability for farmers.

To launch this important strategic collaboration, USDEC, NMPF, FARM and FEPALE co-hosted a seminar on April 19 and 20, 2023, on “The Road to Sustainability in Livestock Production in the Americas,” bringing together influential leaders from across the livestock sectors of the MERCOSUR and South America region. Attendees heard from global experts and discussed ways to reduce the livestock sector’s greenhouse gas emissions while remaining viable for the next generation of farmers.

Both the partnership and meeting are being organized with an eye toward the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Moment and COP28, where the organizations will play a role in shaping the discussion around agriculture’s role in a sustainable future.

NMPF, USDEC Strengthen Ties Throughout Latin America

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

NMPF, USDEC and Sociedad Rural Argentina (SRA) announced an agreement Sept. 8 to foster cooperation between the three groups to advocate for science-based regulations across food and agricultural trade policy. SRA, a civil association of agricultural landowners, is an influential economic and political player in Argentina, and will be a valuable partner in advocating for international food policy priorities.

NMPF and USDEC built on the momentum with an agreement finalized Sept. 30 with the Chilean Federacion Nacional de Productores de Leche (Fedeleche). The memorandum of understanding places an emphasis on improving mutual understanding through conferences, seminars and events so that the three organizations can collaborate in fighting for clear, fair, science-based rules.

These latest developments complement the long-standing relationship NMPF and USDEC have cultivated with the Pan-American Dairy Federation (FEPALE), which held its 16th Congress in Quito, Ecuador, Oct. 19-21. NMPF Executive Vice President for Policy Development & Strategy Jaime Castaneda presented on behalf of FEPALE member USDEC at its Board of Directors meeting, supporting collaboration and joint work in international forums. Castaneda discussed supplemental partnership opportunities with dairy farmers in Ecuador that would increase dairy consumption and bilateral trade.

NMPF and USDEC look forward to continuing to expanding and collaborating with their regional partners to promote and defend the image of dairy and increase trade.

USDEC and NMPF Strengthen Ties with Sociedad Rural Argentina to Promote Science-Based Policy

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and Sociedad Rural Argentina (SRA) today formalized an agreement to foster cooperation and collaboration between the three groups to advocate for science-based regulations across food and agricultural trade policy.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among the three groups sets forth a broad set of principles to guide collaboration on key issues that affect their members. The agreement spans two years and includes a strong focus on food policy priorities as well as Codex, sustainability, and food systems issues.

“U.S. dairy producers share common interests with their counterparts in Argentina, including global leadership on sustainability and regulatory standards,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “SRA and its member recognize that we must ground new and evolving rules in the latest and best science, rather than allowing other agendas to distort food and ag policy.”

“We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Argentine agricultural producers on issues of common concern,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “Together we will work to ensure international regulatory policy is based in science, while we also endeavor to reduce unnecessarily burdensome barriers to trade between our two nations.”

“From the Sociedad Rural Argentina, we continue to work hard in pursuit of free trade, based on clear and fair rules, to achieve structural reforms to international trade in agricultural products, and in particular dairy products where there is great protectionism,” said Nicolás Pino, president of the SRA. “In this sense, we celebrate this agreement with North American milk producers and exporters that seeks to strengthen joint actions on the international agenda.”

The MOU between NMPF, USDEC and SRA complements agreements signed this year with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Pan American Dairy Federation (FEPALE), providing USDEC and NMPF an additional avenue to communicate and engage with stakeholders in Latin America.