9 March 2016

3 minute read

North America

The organisation is now urging Congress to pass the agreement this year, even as it also registered concerns with another major trade pact being negotiated with Europe.

In addition to adopting a resolution of support for TPP, the NMPF board expressed its opposition today to moving forward with the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in light of Europe’s continued refusal to remove barriers to US dairy exports.

“Taken in its entirety, the TPP agreement is positive for the US dairy industry,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF.

“Although it achieves less than we wanted in terms of throwing open new markets in Japan and Canada, I am particularly pleased that we did not concede to a huge surge in new imports.”

NMPF’s position reflects a detailed assessment of the entire package conducted by the staffs of both NMPF and the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC).

The TPP agreement also contains important provisions designed “to knock down other trade barriers, such as food safety disputes, and to challenge the growing number of restrictions limiting trade of foods with commonly-used names such as parmesan,” Mulhern said.

Despite its endorsement, in order to make sure that US dairy farmers and exporters receive the full benefit of the package, NMPF said US government agencies must take concrete steps to ensure the diligent enforcement of the agreement’s provisions with America’s trading partners.

The NMPF resolution also urged the US to establish proper enforcement measures regarding access granted to the domestic market, and monitor compliance with those measures after the TPP is implemented.

The board also formally registered its view that given the lack of significant export inroads in the agreement, the TPP market access package should not be used as a template for future US trade agreements.

NMPF’s board weighed several factors in making its decision to support the TPP agreement. The organisation said these factors included the following points:

• The net effect on the US dairy industry of all TPP market access concessions is expected to be neutral to slightly positive, with the most notable US export gains coming in Canada and Japan, along with somewhat smaller increases in new imports.
• There is the potential for the agreement to expand over time to include additional participants in Asia, particularly nations that currently – or will soon – have trade agreements with major dairy competitors. It is imperative that the US remain a key player in the region as its works to expand future US exports.
• In the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) provisions, the TPP features groundbreaking new commitments that should help keep in check the possibility for participating countries to erode existing and future market access for US dairy exporters through unjustified regulatory determinations.
• The TPP contains new Geographical Indications (GI) provisions establishing a more equitable international model on registering GIs for food. NMPF said the text significantly strengthens the ability for the US to combat food naming barriers when they arise, thereby helping preserve market access opportunities for US companies.

At the same time it voted to support the TPP, the NMPF board also went on record to oppose any further advancement of the US-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations that does not include fully addressing US dairy export concerns related to SPS, TBT and common name issues.

Mr Mulhern indicated that at the present time, “the negotiations have not demonstrated concrete progress towards addressing food safety challenges and other non-tariff trade barriers. In addition, we remain extremely concerned” about the food names issue.

The failure to resolve these issues in the TTIP “would exacerbate the existing US dairy trade deficit with the EU of over $1 billion,” Mulhern said.

TheCattleSite News Desk