Toomey in Bipartisan Effort to Protect Dairy Farmers

Member Group : U.S. Senator Pat Toomey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 11, 2014

Contact Steve Kelly (Toomey) (717) 782-3951
or Meredith Kelly (Schumer) (202) 224-7433

TOOMEY AND SCHUMER SPEARHEADING BIPARTISAN EFFORT TO PROTECT AMERICAN DAIRY FARMERS AND PRODUCERS

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) are working together to protect American dairy farmers and producers from an absurd European initiative that would change the common names for cheeses Americans enjoy every day.

In a bipartisan letter signed by more than 50 of their Senate colleagues, Sens. Toomey and Schumer urged the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to fight European Union (EU) efforts to prohibit American dairy producers from using dozens of common cheese names. The EU claims that dairy products baring names such as asiago, feta, parmesan, and muenster are "geographical indicators" and can only be appropriately displayed on products made in certain areas of Europe.

If the United States were to be subjected to a ban of these traditional brand names for various cheeses consumers may be confused and American dairy farmers could suffer.

"Can you imagine going into a grocery store and cheddar and provolone are called something else?" said Sen. Toomey. "Generations of dairy farmers and producers have worked hard to cultivate a product and brand that resonates with consumers. Efforts by the EU to establish trade guidelines which would restrict branding are ridiculous and threaten Pennsylvania jobs. I urge the USDA and the USTR to fight back against any attempt by the EU to restrict the usage of commonly used brand names."

"Artisanal cheese production is a growing industry across New York, but it now faces a major threat from free trade agreements that could place geographic restrictions on cheese labeling," said Sen. Schumer. "I’m urging Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Froman to hold nothing back when negotiating on behalf of U.S. cheese producers—because Muenster is Muenster, no matter how you slice it."

Sens. Toomey and Schumer’s efforts are supported by the National Milk Producers Association, U.S. Dairy Export Council, International Dairy Foods Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, Kraft, Leprino Foods and others.

"No one country has any right to own common food names for their exclusive use. We just want U.S. businesses to have the opportunity to offer their award-winning products, and let consumers decide what they want to buy. We appreciate Sen. Schumer and Sen. Toomey’s attention to this issue of great concern to the U.S. dairy industry," said Jaime Castaneda, Sr. Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Trade Policy for the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation.

The full text of Sens. Toomey and Schumer’s letter can be seen below:

Dear Secretary Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Froman:

We commend your past work to fight the growing geographical indication (GI) restrictions promoted by the European Union (EU). This trade barrier is of great concern to dairy and other food manufacturers in our states. On their behalf, we urge you to continue to push back against the EU’s efforts to restrict our cheese exports, particularly to nations with which we already have free trade agreements. In addition, we urge you to make clear to your EU counterparts that the U.S. will reject any proposal in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations now underway that would restrict in any way the ability of US producers to use common cheese names.

In country after country, the EU has been using its free trade agreements (FTAs) to persuade its trading partners to impose barriers to U.S. exports under the guise of protection for its geographical indications. This trade-damaging practice is concerning anywhere, but it is most deeply troubling where the U.S. has an established FTA or has been actively in the process of negotiating a new agreement. For example, Canada agreed as part of its recently concluded FTA with the EU to impose new restrictions on the use of "feta" and other common cheese names. Common names for products such as "feta" are clearly generic in Canada, as they are in many other countries. These restrictions not only threaten harm to the companies currently involved in the Canadian market, but they would also impair market access for U.S. dairy products that we are now attempting to secure under ongoing trade negotiations. Similar trade barriers are cropping up throughout Latin America as well and are under discussion in many Asian countries involved in negotiations with the EU.

Reportedly, the EU now seeks to more directly impair U.S. competition by imposing restrictions on the use of common food names through TTIP. In the states that we represent, many small or medium-sized family owned farms and firms could have their business unfairly restricted by the EU’s push to use geographical indications as a barrier to dairy trade and competition. As we begin to engage in TTIP negotiations that are ultimately intended to bring about a better economic climate on both sides of the Atlantic by lowering barriers to trade, we strongly oppose the EU’s gratuitous use of GIs as a protectionist measure.

We ask that USTR and USDA continue to work aggressively to ensure the EU’s GI efforts on commonly used cheese names do not impair U.S. businesses’ ability to compete domestically or internationally and that you make this a top priority through both official TTIP and bilateral negotiations.

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Steven Kelly
U.S. Senator Pat Toomey
Press Secretary
Room 1104, 228 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1722

(717) 782-3951 (Office)
(717) 480-2806 (Cell)

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