NAFTA Negotiations Should Address Concerns Over Cheeses in Mexico-EU FTA
The U.S. trade negotiators should "engage with Mexico on geographical indication restrictions to ensure Mexico honors its existing trade commitments" with the U.S. regarding American cheese exporters, a group of 27 senators told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in a May 15 letter. "As you work to re-negotiate" NAFTA, "we urge you to engage with your Mexican and Canadian counterparts to ensure that future trade policies do not limit export opportunities for American dairy farmers and processors."
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The recently announced trade deal between the European Union and Mexico (see 1804230016) included protections for 340 European geographical indications. While that deal isn't finalized and the restricted names have not been released, the lawmakers are worried that the agreement protects cheese names considered generic in the U.S., Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a news release. "American cheese exporters should be allowed to continue using common food names that Mexican consumers are familiar with," the senators said. "Anything less would grant European producers access to the market share that American producers have developed over decades and unjustly award them the future growth opportunities of those products."