Leaders of dairy
farmer organizations in the United States and Mexico met this week
and agreed that Canada’s new low-priced milk category is a problem.
They also agreed to
make common cause against the European Union’s attempt to ban the
use of cheese names that have a European place-name origon, such as
asiago, feta and gogonzola.
Mexico took down
many of its dairy-industry trade barriers earlier, opening the way
for it to join the U.S. in challenging Canada’s high degree of
protectionism.
The challenge to the
new low-price milk category is coming on two fronts – during the
North American Free Trade Negotiations and via a complaint filed with
the World Trade Organization.