Uproar over USA-Australia trade agreement

USA/AUSTRALIA – The USA’s National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has warned that the outcome of a proposed free trade agreement with Australia would be the loss of a quarter of dairy jobs.

According to an analysis prepared by the NMPF, the surge in dairy imports would force thousands of the nation’s dairy farmers out of business. It also believes that more than 10% of the 1.13 million jobs generated by milk production and processing activities in the USA would be lost.

“The threat of economic devastation to rural communities across America as a result of Australian imports is real,” said Jerry Kozak. “Australia’s products would swamp our markets and wipe out thousands of small and medium sized farms in the process.” He went on to say that the only beneficiaries would be Australia’s dairy industry, as well as a handful of multinational processing and retail companies that are able to buy wholesale products more cheaply.