USMCA Enforcement Stays at Top of USTR’s Agenda with NMPF Help
January 5, 2021
After sustained engagement from NMPF and USDEC to bring the U.S. Trade Representative’s attention to Canada’s administration of its Tariff Rate Quota (TRQ) obligations under USMCA, USTR announced Dec. 9 it will initiate official consultations with Canada.
“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,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, in a statement the day of the announcement. “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.”
The USTR decision came after months of groundwork by NMPF and USDEC. Even prior to USMCA’s entrance into force, the two organizations called attention to the fact that Canada’s TRQ allocations undermined the intent of USCMA’s dairy provisions. The concerns of the organizations were shared with Congress, then echoed by a broad bipartisan coalition of members of Congress in two letters from the House and the Senate.
NMPF will continue to work with both trade officials and Congress to monitor Canada’s compliance with USMCA, as further enforcement may be necessary to effectively address Canada’s unfair dairy policies.
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