Dairy leader wants to see an offensive trade approach

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Dairy leader wants to see an offensive trade approach

The Senior Vice President for the National Milk Producers Federation says it is time to make some offensive plays on the trade front.

“We need to set agriculture policy around the world. We need to actually have allies. We need to actually connect, and we need to be on the offensive.”

Jaime Castaneda says it has been too long since the US negotiated and passed a NEW trade agreement, noting that the US Mexico Canada Agreement was a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He says that puts the US behind countries in Europe as well as Australia and New Zealand.

“The last time we passed a new agreement, it was negotiated by the Busch administration and passed in the first couple years of the Obama Administration. That is where I think we need to actually focus.”

As part of a Farmers for Free Trade webinar releasing ag policy recommendations for the Biden Administration, Castaneda highlighted problems with Europe impacting US milk producers including geographical indicators taking away from food labeling and the European Union Farm to Fork strategy.