The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) Friday praised Senate Finance Committee leadership for urging Canada to allow more trade in agricultural products, including dairy, as an outcome of the negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If Canada is not willing to allow more dairy trade as a result of the TPP, it risks being left out of the agreement, according to the Senate members. 

In a letter to Gary Doer, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and senior Democrat Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Canada’s ability to “commit to significant and commercially meaningful market access for all remaining agricultural products, including dairy, will have a significant impact on Congress’ view of the final agreement. In fact, our support for a final TPP agreement that includes Canada is contingent on Canada’s ability to meet the TPP’s high standards.” 

The letter from Hatch and Wyden echoed a similar appeal last week by 21 members of the House of Representatives led by Reps. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.), as well as Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas). 

That letter also went to Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. and comes at a pivotal time, as negotiators from across the Pacific are currently meeting in Hawaii to finalize key issues in the TPP talks, including agricultural trade.

NMPF and the USDEC also praised a bipartisan group of 22 senators for urging the Obama administration to increase market access for U.S. dairy products into Canada and Japan as part of any final Pacific Rim trade agreement. 

In a letter led by Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, the senators asked that the U.S. secure significant market access benefits across all dairy products, particularly into Japan and Canada, in ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. In addition to underscoring the critical importance of achieving these export gains, the letter also pointed to the need to avoid an imbalanced outcome that grants more access to our competitors than the U.S. gains into Canada and Japan. The House breaks for the summer recess this week and the Senate next week and return Sept. 8.