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Congress members send letter to Lighthizer on NAFTA and dairy concerns

Sixty-eight Members of Congress signed a letter sent to U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, urging him to end Canada’s Class Seven milk prices in the NAFTA renegotiation process. The lawmakers call the Class Seven program trade-distorting, dumping powder on the world market and eliminating U.S. market access for certain products.

The President of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, former Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, tells Brownfield the Trump Administration needs to solve this.  “Agriculture, in general, needs a win, and this would certainly be one indication of the administration’s focus on agriculture and we’re certainly hopeful that the administration follows through with the expectation it set that this is going to be handled in the NAFTA negotiations.”

National Milk Producers Federation President Jim Mulhern also praised the letter from lawmakers, saying it is time for Canada to eliminate all dairy tariffs and have free trade for all commodities across North America.