The National Milk Producers Federation is celebrating the release of a federal trade report that identifies European Union restrictions on common cheese names as a significant barrier to American commerce.
The U.S. Trade Representative issued its 2026 Special 301 Report on April 30, which specifically calls out the EU’s misuse of intellectual property regulations to control widely-used cheese names such as “parmesan.”
This federal backing is crucial for the National Milk Producers Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, and Consortium for Common Food Names as they collaborate with government officials to defend American dairy farmers’ ability to use standard food terminology in international commerce.
The yearly report, which outlines major intellectual property challenges for American exporters, emphasizes the current administration’s achievements in recent trade negotiations to guarantee that common names remain available for U.S. producers. These agreements are vital for countering the EU’s restrictive geographical indication policies, which limit universally-known terms like “parmesan” and “feta” to designated European manufacturers, essentially blocking American exporters from important overseas markets.
In January, the National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council submitted formal comments backing the Consortium for Common Food Names’ comprehensive documentation to the Trade Representative’s office, which outlined the scope of markets where these rights face challenges and thanked the administration for making this issue a priority. NMPF representative Shawna Morris also provided testimony during public hearings conducted as part of the report’s development process. All three organizations plan to work alongside the Trade Representative and federal government in overseeing reciprocal trade agreements and ensuring trading partners properly implement them.
Furthermore, the National Milk Producers Federation plans to advocate for these protections in all current trade discussions, including the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Joint Review, to guarantee that American dairy exporters can market their products globally without restrictions based on common product names.
