SCHUMER AND GILLIBRAND STATEMENT ON U.S. TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT NEW YORK’S DAIRY FARMERS BY FILING FIRST-EVER USMCA ENFORCEMENT ACTION

After first raising concerns about Canada’s allocation of tariff-rate quotas for U.S. exports of dairy products in June and again in September, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand applauded the U.S. Trade Representative’s decision to file a USMCA enforcement action against Canada to protect New York’s dairy farmers and ensure fairer market access:

Schumer and Gillibrand said, “Dairy is New York’s primary agricultural product and our dairy farmers are the lifeblood of the Upstate economy. They have been hit especially hard and squeezed by the economic effects of the pandemic, and poor implementation of USMCA provisions by Canada over the past 5 months will only further hinder their ability to recover from this crisis. Yesterday’s filing of the first-ever USMCA enforcement action by the U.S to protect New York’s dairy farmers from Canada’s unfair allocation of tariff-rate quotas is a necessary step to ensuring that the Upstate New York dairy industry fully benefits from the agreement’s expanded market access opportunities, unimpeded by unreasonable trade barriers. New York’s dairy industry must have Canada fully abide by its USMCA dairy pricing and export policy commitments. We must continue to hold Canada and our other trading partners accountable and ensure equitable trading practices to help New York’s dairy farmers churn up profits that mitigate the huge losses they have suffered this year.”

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