House members urge no compromise on common names
May 15, 2014 | 08:22 PM
U.S. trade negotiators should not give in to European demands to adopt geographical indicators for certain dairy products, 171 House members have written to Trade Representative Michael Froman and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
In the letter, the House members urge the Obama administration to defend what they call “common food names,” as U.S. negotiators work with the EU on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
“This type of barrier to trade and commerce defies the fundamental goals of a trade agreement, and we urge you to work aggressively against the EU’s efforts in this respect in order to preserve both domestic and export opportunities for these products,” the House members wrote in a letter that was released by the Consortium for Common Food Names, an industry group.
The Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus co-chairs, led by Reps. Reid Ribble, R-Wis. and Peter Welch, D-Vt., spearheaded the letter, the consortium said in a news release.
Jaime Castaneda
Jaime Castaneda, a National Milk Producers Federation official who serves as executive director of the consortium, said the European Union has been using its free-trade agreements to gain acceptance of geographical indicators.
Canada, Castaneda noted, agreed as part of its recently concluded FTA with the EU to impose new restrictions on the use of “feta” and other common cheese names. The EU has instigated similar trade barriers throughout Latin America, and is expected to pursue such restrictions in its negotiations with many Asian countries, he added.
“We need to remind Europe that they do not own ‘parmesan’ and ‘feta’,” said Castaneda.
“Many nations outside the EU have made award-winning parmesans, fetas and other cheeses for decades. In fact, some U.S. cheeses have beat out Europe’s in international cheese competitions. And sometimes it is because of the dedication and marketing of food producers outside the EU that these products have become popular around the world.”
▪ House letter to Vilsack and Froman on dairy trade
▪ Consortium for Common Food Names
In the letter, the House members urge the Obama administration to defend what they call “common food names,” as U.S. negotiators work with the EU on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
“This type of barrier to trade and commerce defies the fundamental goals of a trade agreement, and we urge you to work aggressively against the EU’s efforts in this respect in order to preserve both domestic and export opportunities for these products,” the House members wrote in a letter that was released by the Consortium for Common Food Names, an industry group.
The Congressional Dairy Farmer Caucus co-chairs, led by Reps. Reid Ribble, R-Wis. and Peter Welch, D-Vt., spearheaded the letter, the consortium said in a news release.
Jaime Castaneda, a National Milk Producers Federation official who serves as executive director of the consortium, said the European Union has been using its free-trade agreements to gain acceptance of geographical indicators.
Canada, Castaneda noted, agreed as part of its recently concluded FTA with the EU to impose new restrictions on the use of “feta” and other common cheese names. The EU has instigated similar trade barriers throughout Latin America, and is expected to pursue such restrictions in its negotiations with many Asian countries, he added.
“We need to remind Europe that they do not own ‘parmesan’ and ‘feta’,” said Castaneda.
“Many nations outside the EU have made award-winning parmesans, fetas and other cheeses for decades. In fact, some U.S. cheeses have beat out Europe’s in international cheese competitions. And sometimes it is because of the dedication and marketing of food producers outside the EU that these products have become popular around the world.”
▪ House letter to Vilsack and Froman on dairy trade
▪ Consortium for Common Food Names
