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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Sunday, March 30, 2025
The first thing U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack did after the U.S. lost its second USMCA dairy battle with Canada was vow to keep on fighting – reminiscent of statements released by U.S. lawmakers and U.S. dairy groups, but that fight may be at an end after two exhaustive legal fights that both ended in a decision by a three-member dispute panel.
The U.S. lost its latest dispute with Canada over the country’s operation of a tariff rate quota for dairy imports under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to a Friday announcement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Dairy, meat, produce and other ag producers that count on getting their commodities to Asia and beyond through West Coast ports are lauding a tentative labor agreement between Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) that’s expected to produce a six-year labor contract.
U.S. trade officials are now armed with new knowledge as they enter their second battle with Canada over its restrictions on dairy trade: Even in losing, Canada can win.
U.S. meat and dairy exporters have a lot to gain if Taiwan were to remove barriers to their products. That’s why groups representing both sectors are lauding a U.S. announcement that the two countries have reached an agreement on a broad set of goals for a trade pact that they’re planning to begin negotiations on this fall.
President Joe Biden announced Monday from Tokyo the official launch of his Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF, that will so far include Australia, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday left open the possibility of retaliatory tariffs against Canada for again making what the U.S. sees as an unacceptable proposal to alter its dairy quota system.
Difficulties in getting containers full of U.S. ag commodities on ocean-going vessels persists and U.S. dairy exporters are still losing money because of the problems, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation. That’s why the groups say they’re asking the Biden administration to take more action.
The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, a bill aimed at ending port bottlenecks for ag exports, was introduced in the Senate Thursday even as sponsors of a tougher House-passed version sought to ramp up pressure for its enactment.
The USDA will fund 60% of the cost of adding a new 25-acre container yard at the Port of Oakland, while also subsidizing ag exporters' shipping expenses, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the Biden administration wants to repeat the project elsewhere.
