CONTACTS:

CONTACTS:

Chris Galen, NMPF PHONE: (703) 243-6111 FAX: 703-841-9328 cgalen@nmpf.org

Alan Levitt, USDEC PHONE: (703) 528-4801 FAX: 703-528-3705 alevitt@usdec.org

Arlington, VA

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) praised a letter to President Obama yesterday from 140 members of the U.S. House of Representatives expressing concerns about the status of agricultural market access negotiations with Japan and Canada in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The bipartisan letter was led by Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, and Ranking Member Charles Rangel (D-NY).

"This Congressional letter reinforces the message that a unified dairy industry expressed last month in a letter to Ambassador Froman and Secretary Vilsack and that is the importance of a high-quality dairy outcome with Japan and Canada," said USDEC President Tom Suber. "We share the concerns of Congress over the efforts of Japan and Canada to evade meaningful market access in the TPP."

"We believe that TPP needs to be a high standard agreement that maximizes export opportunities for U.S. dairy products," said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. "To that end, we concur with the Congressional message that the key to a good agricultural outcome with Japan and Canada is an agreement that is meaningful and comprehensive. The letter's core message, urging the U.S. Trade Representative to obtain the best deal possible, is very much in line with the type of ambitious and balanced outcome our members believe is necessary."

Both organizations also remain focused on addressing another U.S. dairy industry priority regarding the lingering impacts of New Zealand government dairy policies that have intentionally advantaged a single national champion at the expense of other competitors.

Many U.S. agricultural organizations united in support of the Congressional letter. While the goals of various agricultural organizations in the TPP may differ, the unifying aim is a desire to see significant movement by Japan and Canada to greatly expand market access opportunities for U.S. agricultural exports. NMPF and USDEC remain hopeful that the TPP negotiations will result in a final package that can garner the endorsement of the U.S. dairy industry.

###

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 within 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.

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 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.