A dairy industry representative addressed lawmakers on March 17 during a Congressional Agriculture Trade Caucus meeting, calling attention to ongoing trade obstacles that prevent American dairy farmers from fully accessing North American markets through the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Tony Rice from the National Milk Producers Federation spoke about the upcoming USMCA review process as a chance to address unresolved trade issues.
“The USMCA Joint Review presents an opportunity for the United States to strengthen the agreement and ensure Mexico and Canada live up to their commitments,” Rice said. “Preserving tariff-free access to Mexico is paramount, while measures to address Canada’s failure to comply with its dairy obligations and Mexico’s delayed implementation of its common name provisions are necessary for U.S. dairy producers receive the full benefit of the agreement.”
According to industry officials, Canada has been managing its import quota system in ways that block American dairy products while also avoiding trade agreement rules governing dairy protein exports. These actions work against the market opportunities the trade deal was supposed to create.
Mexico also faces criticism for incomplete implementation despite maintaining generally positive trade relations. The country has yet to fully adopt USMCA provisions protecting common product names that allow American producers to sell items like “feta” cheese, and needs to prevent new barriers on U.S. cheese shipments.
The National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council have been discussing these issues with lawmakers and government officials as the agreement review approaches. The Agriculture Trade Caucus, a bipartisan group launched in January 2024 with help from both dairy organizations, regularly holds sessions on export challenges and Congressional solutions.
Both dairy groups plan to continue advocating for agreement improvements to ensure commitments to American dairy farmers are fulfilled when the three nations meet on July 1 to discuss the trade pact’s future.
