U.S. Dairy Industry Praises Outcome of Talks with China on Cheese Name Issue

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. dairy industry today applauded a commitment to stronger protections for common food names resulting from just-concluded trade talks with China.

The favorable outcome of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meetings should facilitate export of products like feta and parmesan cheese to China, which is a particularly large and fast-growing market for U.S. dairy products.

"We are extremely pleased that the United States and China have agreed to strong protections for products using these well-established cheese names as we seek to expand exports to this key market," said Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

"We especially appreciate U.S. negotiators' recognition of the importance of common name preservation to U.S. exports and the heightened focus that the Obama administration has given to a key dairy industry priority," added Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.

"The outcome of the JCCT meetings is a great example of the progress that can result from frank and productive collaboration between two trading partners," said Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association.

The issue of common food names and their relationship to geographical indications (GIs) has generated considerable discussion this year due to European Union efforts to impose bans on the use of feta, parmesan, asiago, muenster and other common cheese names in international trade unless the products are manufactured in Europe.

The EU is using talks like those under way for a Trans-Atlantic free trade agreement to impose these bans. In addition, it is seeking GI-specific agreements with individual countries, including China. The U.S. dairy industry has strongly opposed EU efforts to impose these trade barriers as a way to limit global competition. 

The JCCT result lays out common principles for how geographical indications should be handled, as well as a commitment to future dialogue on GIs between the two countries. The JCCT is a forum for addressing trade issues between the United States and China. The three days of JCCT meetings ended yesterday in Chicago.

For more information, read "U.S. Fact Sheet: 25th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade."

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, Va., develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF's cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S, milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF's activities, visit www.nmpf.org.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $125-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's nearly 200 dairy processing members run nearly 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found at www.idfa.org.

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SOURCE International Dairy Foods Association

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