The Trans-Pacific Partnership will help the US dairy industry compete in international markets, but serious concerns still remain according to a major dairy organization. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) issued a statement following the International Trade Commission’s report on the TPP.
The IDFA says it applauds the release of the ITC’s investigation, which it calls an “important step forward in assessing the benefits of the TPP.”
“For dairy foods manufacturers, the TPP generates opportunities to compete on a more level playing field in fast-growing markets around the Pacific Rim,” the IDFA says in its release. The IDFA says the agreement includes important breakthroughs on geographical indications and fully enforceable sanitary and phytosanitary rules.
The IDFA says that they “still have concerns about implementation and enforcement on a number of critical issues that will determine how the agreement is likely to work in practice.” They are encouraged by the positive ITC report, and are hopeful that Senate and House leaders will approve the agreement this year.
The IDFA has a membership of 550 companies within a $125-billion a year industry and is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation, the National Cheese Institute and the International Ice Cream Association. IDFA represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers. Further information can be found online at www.idfa.org