Tag: USTR

NMPF Identifies Dairy Trade Barriers for U.S. Government

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

NMPF and USDEC filed extensive comments Oct. 30 as part of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) request for global trade barriers for its 2026 National Trade Estimate report.

The list of issues compiled by NMPF and USDEC highlight dairy trade irritants in 34 different markets, including regional blocs like the European Union and parties to the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement.

Several key issues that the organizations cite include Canada’s refusal to comply with its dairy commitments under USMCA, dairy facility registration challenges across various markets, and the European Union’s long list of trade-distorting measures ranging from certification requirements to the abuse of geographical indications to monopolize common names like “parmesan.”

Supplementing NMPF’s engagement with USTR as cleared confidential advisors, the comments serve as a key resource for the U.S. government as it engages in negotiations with trading partners. The 2025 National Trade Estimate report has served as a guide for crafting the Trump Administration’s reciprocal trade plan. It also offers details on priority dairy markets and products as the U.S. government seeks to resolve barriers to dairy trade and expand market access opportunities.

Washington May Be Stuck, But We Don’t Have To Be

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Despite the legislative branch grinding to a halt this October, it hasn’t impaired NMPF’s ability to make progress for dairy farmers. For all you may read about Washington at an impasse, October was not a month of rest at the National Milk Producers Federation.

Some highlights:

  • Trade talks worldwide continue full-steam-ahead, with a fully staffed Office of the U.S. Trade Representative working on agreements that have significant implications for dairy. New framework trade agreements announced with Asian nations including Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam are a big win for the industry. And last week NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council followed that by filing extensive comments as part of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) request for global trade barriers for its 2026 National Trade Estimate report.

In them we spotlight dairy trade irritants in 34 different markets, including regional blocs like the European Union and parties to the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement. Several key issues cited include Canada’s refusal to comply with its dairy commitments under USMCA; dairy facility registration challenges across various markets; and the European Union’s long list of trade-distorting measures, which range from certification requirements to the abuse of geographical indications to monopolize common names like “parmesan.”

  • Also on trade, NMPF and USDEC on Friday submitted comments to USTR on its upcoming USMCA 2026 joint review, calling for Canada and Mexico both to uphold their dairy-related obligations in the agreement. That includes addressing Canada’s evasion of its market access commitments and Mexico’s need to fully implement USMCA side letters pertaining to the protection of common cheese names.
  • Regulatory processes are also continuing during the shutdown, and an important one is the government’s attempt to define “ultra-processed” foods, a key priority for the MAHA movement. MAHA’s emphasis on whole and natural foods holds great promise for dairy, but a definition of ultra-processed that’s poorly thought out also carries great risk of unintended consequences for public health, affecting food safety, accessibility and affordability.

Our comments on the definition, sent Oct. 23 to the Food and Drug Administration, ensure that dairy farmer voices are included in this critical definition, which will affect every part of the food chain. And it’s only the latest input we’ve had with the government, as it’s our 11th set of regulatory comments filed this year, on everything from plant-based naming practices to front-of-pack labeling to the upcoming Dietary Guidelines.

  • At USDA, where limited staff have returned to Farm Service Agency offices, we’ve sought, and received, assurances that the Emergency Livestock Relief Program 2023 and 2024 Flood & Wildfire application process is up and running again.  When the shutdown began, farmers only had about two weeks with a fully operational USDA to submit ELRP applications online or to their local FSA office. USDA has reassured NMPF it plans to extend the ELRP application deadline into mid-November. Interested farmers should contact their local FSA office to learn more about details on local hours and services and ask to set up a time to discuss their ELRP applications.

These are only a few of the tangible results we’ve achieved in the past month, even as important conversations continue on immigration, the threat of New World screwworm, and other issues. Even amid dysfunction, functions continue, and we continue to do our best for farmers.

It’s what we’ve been sent to Washington to do. We will continue to make progress during the government shutdown, regardless of how frustrating the situation may be, and we all hope it will end soon. In the meantime, please contact us with any questions or concerns at info@nmpf.org, so we may continue to be a resource as this continues to unfold.

Gregg Doud

President & CEO, NMPF

 

U.S. Dairy Industry Celebrates Julie Callahan Nomination for Chief Agricultural Negotiator

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) commended President Trump’s nomination of Dr. Julie Callahan to serve as Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“The role of Chief Agricultural Negotiator is critical to ensuring that American dairy farmers have a voice in trade negotiations,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF and a former USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator. “Dr. Callahan is the right choice. Her expertise and leadership in agricultural trade policy is second to none. Dairy farmers and the entire U.S. dairy industry look forward to working with her to open new export markets and hold our trading partners accountable. We ask that the Senate move swiftly to advance her confirmation process.”

Callahan currently serves as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Agricultural Affairs and Commodity Policy where she leads on expanding and preserving market access opportunities for U.S. farmers and food manufacturers. Her impressive tenure in agricultural trade policy spans across a variety of leadership roles with USTR and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in addition to early career experience with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service and the American Chemical Society.

“Dr. Callahan’s nomination today is a win for U.S. agriculture,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “The U.S. dairy industry depends on a proactive trade policy agenda to grow. Dr. Callahan brings deep trade policy expertise and an unmatched record of advocating for U.S. farmers and food manufacturers to a role vital to ensuring agriculture has a seat at the negotiating table. We look forward to working with her to drive back trade barriers and build markets for American dairy producers. USDEC calls on the Senate to quickly confirm her as our next Chief Agricultural Negotiator.”

“For far too long, the European Union has misused its geographical indications rules to monopolize common food names like ‘parmesan’ and block fair competition from U.S. producers,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “In her current role, Dr. Callahan has been leading the charge in preserving market access for U.S. common name producers in the face of these harmful EU policies. Her leadership will be instrumental in working to ensure that the European Union stops taking advantage of American farmers. We are excited for the opportunity to further work with her on this important mission and urge an expeditious confirmation process in the Senate.”

USTR Calls Out Misuse of Geographical Indications as Major Trade Barrier

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

The Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN), National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) said they appreciated the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) decision to spotlight protection of common food names in the agency’s 2025 Special 301 Report released today.

The annual report outlines major global intellectual property concerns. It highlighted the European Union’s persistent campaign to monopolize common names—such as “parmesan” and “feta”— through protectionist geographical indication (GI) policies. These efforts restrict the use of widely recognized food and beverage terms to only specific European producers and effectively cut U.S. producers out of certain key markets.

“The European Union’s approach to geographical indications is entirely unacceptable. It intentionally crowds out fair competition by restricting market access for U.S. and international producers,” said Jaime Castaneda, executive director of CCFN. “Too many trading partners have been coerced into imposing trade barriers for products using common food and beverage names. We appreciate USTR’s ongoing recognition of this issue but  urge the U.S. government to stop trading partners to succumbing to European pressures and imposing trade barriers on U.S. products.”

“Europe’s misuse of geographical indications is nothing more than a trade barrier dressed up as intellectual property protection,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “It not only unfairly strips American producers of the right to use common, widely understood terms, but significantly handcuffs commercial export opportunities. We welcome USTR’s focus on this issue and appreciate the administration’s dedication to protecting U.S. market access rights.”

“Last year, the United States imported nearly $3 billion more in dairy products from the European Union than we exported to Europe. Europe’s abuse of the GI system is a significant reason for that deficit,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of NMPF. “EU GI schemes create a two-tiered system that benefits European producers and stamps out competition. We appreciate that USTR is addressing this unfair practice and look forward to continuing to work together to level the playing field for U.S. dairy producers.”

CCFN submitted comments to the agency in January, which broke down the many markets where U.S. dairy producers’ common name rights are being threatened. NMPF and USDEC filed supporting comments noting the urgency for action to address this pressing trade barrier. CCFN Senior Director Shawna Morris built on those comments at a Feb. 19 USTR hearing, where she underlined how the EU misuses geographical indications and why it’s imperative for the U.S. government to match the EU’s efforts on common names.

Dairy Industry Applauds USTR Action to Address Canadian TRQ Violations

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) applaud today’s announcement that the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will initiate official consultations with Canada to examine the administration of its dairy Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) obligations. The two organizations, with strong bipartisan backing from Congress, have long raised the alarm about the need to ensure the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is fully enforced, due to Canada’s history of undermining its trade commitments.

“USMCA is designed to improve trade with Canada, while modifying some of Canada’s trade-distorting dairy policies. We knew from day one that enforcement would be key to bringing the intended benefits home to America’s dairy industry. I applaud USTR for hearing our concerns and relying on our guidance to take this critical enforcement step to ensure that the agreement is executed in both letter and spirit,” said Tom Vilsack, president and CEO of USDEC. “This is the critical first step, but more work may be needed to ensure Canada complies with its Class 7 related USMCA commitments as well.”

Even prior to its entry into force, USDEC and NMPF monitored Canada’s actions regarding its USMCA commitments and urged Congress and the administration to make this a priority as soon as USMCA entered into force. Canada has distorted its TRQ administration to limit imports from the U.S. Earlier this year, USDEC and NMPF highlighted for USTR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the inconsistencies between Canada’s dairy TRQ allocations and Canada’s USMCA obligations. In a detailed filing submitted to the administration, NMPF and USDEC provided the agencies with a specific legal review of the Canadian TRQ system and an explanation of the negative impacts resulting from them.

“America’s dairy farmers appreciate USTR’s commitment to the fair and transparent enforcement of USMCA. Enforcement has been one of the top priorities of our industry since the final agreement was announced, and we’ve worked diligently to ensure that it remains one of USTR’s top priorities, as well. Only when Canada is held fully accountable to its trade commitments will America’s dairy farmers be able to realize the full benefit of the provisions that the U.S. government worked so hard to secure,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We look forward to working closely with the incoming administration as well since enforcement efforts are likely to require sustained focus going forward.”

The concerns raised by USDEC and NMPF have been echoed by a broad bipartisan coalition of members of Congress. In August, 104 Representatives sent a letter to USTR and USDA asking for Canada to be held accountable to its trade promises while a letter in the Senate was signed by 25 Senators. USDEC and NMPF commend the continued engagement of so many members of Congress on this important issue.