Joco Today

U.S. Senators Roger Marshall, Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar, and Joni Ernst have expressed concerns over Canada's handling of trade agreements affecting American dairy farmers. The senators addressed their concerns in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

The senators claim that Canada is not honoring its commitments under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), particularly in providing fair market access to American dairy producers. They urge the Trump Administration to address these issues in upcoming negotiations.

In their letter, they state: “We write to draw your attention to a persistent irritant in the trade relationship between the United States and Canada: the treatment of America’s dairy farmers and processors. Historically, Canada has failed to live up to its commitments to provide access to its market; this remains the case even with new provisions in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)."

They highlight that Canada's dairy policies restrict imports through high tariffs and reserve most shares of Tariff Rate Quotas for Canadian processors. This results in low fill rates across various dairy product categories such as whey powder, milk powder, and industrial-use cheese.

Furthermore, they allege that Canada exploits a loophole by exporting excessive quantities of dairy protein at artificially low prices. “This trade distorting behavior must be addressed to facilitate fair dairy trade around the world and support our domestic industry,” they wrote.

The senators stress the importance of international market access for maintaining the U.S. dairy industry which supports over 3 million jobs nationally. They urge U.S. officials to address these issues during USMCA discussions with Canadian counterparts.

The full text of their letter is available for further review.