Dairy Groups Say Consultations Should End Over TRQs, Dispute Should Start

Dairy trade groups complained to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai that consultations have gone on long enough, and said it's time to open a formal dispute with Canada over its implementation of tariff rate quotas for dairy products. “America’s dairy farmers appreciated USTR initiating consultations with Canada on its dairy TRQ allocation measures and the decision to hold USMCA Free Trade Commission discussions to pursue reforms,” National Milk Producers Federation CEO Jim Mulhern said in a May 16 news release. “But Canada has always been obstinate on dairy, and at this stage it is increasingly clear that further action is needed to ensure a fair and transparent enforcement of USMCA.” The 68 trade groups said the dispute must begin because the next TRQ year begins July 1, but a dispute panel would take longer than that to rule.