Dairy leaders resume NAFTA modernisation talks

Dairy leaders from the US and Mexico have issued a joint statement on their priorities after a second annual summit of the US-Mexico dairy alliance, in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The two dairy industries want government officials to consider their list of nine common concerns as they attempt to establish terms of a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Tom Vilsack, head of US Dairy Export Council, comments, “We want to strengthen our relationship as Mexico’s most trusted dairy trading partner so we can continue to work together for the benefit of dairy sectors on both sides of the border.

“That goal is all the more essential given other nations’ efforts to pursue harmful and disruptive approaches to dairy trade with Mexico through practices that hurt Mexican and US dairy farmers and workers in the process.”

Groups represented at the US-Mexico dairy summit included: USDEC and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas, Gremio de Productores Lechero de la República Mexicana, the Asociación Nacional de Ganaderos Lecheros, and Camara Nacional de Industriales de la Leche.

Dairy leaders from both countries have agreed to work collaboratively on these nine priorities:

1. To support efforts to modernise NAFTA in recognition of the benefits it has generated for both countries, and seek avenues to improve commercial trade that currently exists among the three countries by ensuring the free flow of dairy products and eliminating any possible trade barriers
2. To commit to working together to preserve existing market access opportunities between Mexico and the US, and improve them where possible to benefit both milk sectors
3. To urge the Mexican and US governments to seek the full inclusion of Canada’s dairy trade provisions within the NAFTA, and to express concerns regarding Canada’s new milk pricing scheme which could potentially harm milk producers and processors in both Mexico and the US
4. To agree to continue working to defend generic “common” food names, especially with regard to bilateral trade agreements of both countries with the EU
5. To establish a working group to analyse the implementation of the US Grade A milk standard with the goal of developing a course of action to ensure that existing regulations are applied uniformly to the industries of both nations
6. To facilitate trade of raw milk for processing purposes between both countries, a working group is hoped to be established to analyse and recommend measures to the respective governments to resolve this issue on the basis of sanitary and scientific standards
7. To continue to exchange information on developments in the milk sector in both countries, as well as on international milk and milk product markets
8. To work to strengthen cooperation in terms of technological exchange and training in aspects covering farm milk production as well as on milk quality and nutritional information
9. To work jointly to promote increased milk and milk products consumption in Mexico, optimising the positive experience of the US dairy industry.