Congressmen Want an End to Canada's Dairy Pricing Program
Friday, April 27th, 2018 -- 8:00 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Dozens of Congressmen, including three from Wisconsin, are calling on U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to work toward negotiating an end to Canada's Class VII dairy pricing program during upcoming NAFTA negotiations.In a letter to the trade ambassador, the lawmakers claim America's dairy farmers and those whose jobs are tied to the dairy product manufacturing sector are experiencing limited markets and deeply depressed farm income levels under the current arrangement. "The new Class VII pricing system within the Canadian National Ingredient Strategy introduced in February 2017 has negatively impacted dairy farmers in Wisconsin by favoring Canadian milk products," said Rep. Ron Kind. Reps. Sean Duffy and Jim Sensenbrenner also signed the memo.
They stated that its 'critical' that the Administration achieves its established goals of eliminating Canada's newer milk program and dairy tariff walls. Several dairy groups also commented on the lawmakers' request on Wednesday, stating that it's 'imperative that we do not lose this opportunity to tackle these problems.' The International Dairy Foods Association says Canada has imposed stiff tariffs of 200 to 300 percent on U.S. dairy exports for many years, causing dairy farmers to face dire economic conditions in recent years.
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