Ag Policy Blog

Dairy Exporters Press for Increased Access to Canadian Market

Chris Clayton
By  Chris Clayton , DTN Ag Policy Editor
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From DTN's Washington Insider:

Dairy Exporters Press for Increased Access to Canadian Market

Dairy exporters in Australia, New Zealand and the United States last week called on their respective trade and agriculture officials to make every effort to significantly increase their access to Canada's market as they continue discussions aimed at concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.

Representatives of Canada's highly protected dairy industry did not appear overly concerned about the attention. Yves Leduc, staff director of international trade with the Dairy Farmers of Canada, told the press that U.S. demands for Canada to reform its supply management system to increase access for imports are ironic given that the United States negotiated a free trade agreement with Australia that excludes access to the U.S. sugar market.

Leduc also claimed that the United States has been unwilling to discuss agricultural subsidies in the context of the TPP negotiations. According to Leduc, the U.S. farm bill provides substantial support to the U.S. dairy sector, to the point where Canadian products could not compete on a level playing field in the U.S. market.

Virtually all the 12 countries involved in TTP talks have products that they wish to protect from foreign competition. Until they are convinced that the benefits their exporters would gain under the TTP will exceed the harm caused by increased imports, the negotiations –– and their accompanying bargaining sessions –– will continue.

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