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U.S. Dairy groups urge Japan not to agree to EU’s food name restrictions

Dairy-Orgs-Letter-Japan-EU-GIs Final 092817

Three U.S. dairy organizations are urging Japan to respect current trade relationships as they review the European Union’s list of common food names during trade talks.

Chris Galen with the National Milk Producers Federation tells Brownfield, “We know we need to raise the profile of this common food name issue because this is a major strategy, if not the major strategy for Europe’s dairy industry.  It’s been an issue in Canada, and could potentially be an issue in Mexico as well.

Galen says they, along with the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the International Dairy Foods Association, sent a joint letter to Japanese ministers.  In the letter, they say Japan should not overlook the significance of the EU food name list while negotiating trade.  “Because we’re not at the table, as the saying goes, if you’re not at the table then you could be on the menu and in this case, we don’t want to have American cheeses off of the menu in the future in Japan.”

Galen says they need to make sure Japan doesn’t make decisions in their bilateral trade negotiations that are damaging to cheesemakers in other countries including the U.S.

The letter urges Japan to break down trading barriers and not erect new ones.

The EU would like exclusive use of product names based on geographic indications, or places in Europe, such as Parmesan and Asiago.

Japan is America’s third biggest cheese market, buying 117-million dollars’ worth of products last year.