While the United States and the European Union are working to close the trade gap between aviation and steel, the U.S. dairy sector has announced that Europe’s proposed review of health certificates required for imports is U.S. exports. It states that it is a great threat to the United States.
The United States ships about $ 100 million worth of dairy products to the EU each year, despite tariffs and restrictive licensing requirements, but according to the National Federation of Milk Producers and US industry groups like the United States. Sales to Europe are on the verge of worsening. Dairy Export Council.
Beginning in August, the EU plans to impose a number of new regulations on the import of dairy and complex foods, which, according to the US industry, impede trade. The European Commission has been working on a review of health certificates for dairy products, meat, eggs, seafood and complex foods for almost a year before the new regulations were announced at the end of last year. Complex foods are a wide variety of products such as pizzas, cheesecakes and biscuits.
Is New regulations Require farms to undergo frequent inspections for signs of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest. The EU is also demanding a new records management system that stores years of data on cattle health records and movements.
To Recent letter to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack U.S. trade representative Katherine Tai, NMPF president and CEO Jim Mulhern, and USDEC president and CEO Christa Harden said the regulation was a “serious problem” in the rules of the World Organization for Animal Health and Codex. He said he was in violation.
Jim Mulhern, NMPF
“If we don’t meet these requirements, trade will stop in Europe,” said one US industry insider.
There is evidence that trade is already affected. U.S. exporters are rushing to ship to Europe on the books by the August 21 deadline, according to industry and U.S. government officials who are monitoring the situation.
After August 21, new certificates will be required and “it is unlikely that we will be able to meet the new certificate requirements,” said a senior government official. Products with old certificates must arrive in Europe by October 20th.
“If dairy products and composite certificates are implemented as proposed, this new law will go to the EU market as well as foreign food processors that ship the final products to the EU, which will eventually ship to the EU. We are deeply concerned that U.S. dairy exports may be blocked. USDEC and NMPF said in a letter: “U.S. in third countries and within the EU (on the way) via EU member states. The trade in dairy products to military bases is at risk as well as the export of composite products to the EU, even if they contain very little dairy products. “
According to one official, the European Commission is only working to tighten food safety and animal welfare regulations on imports, while the US dairy industry is doing so. I haven’t seen it.
Representatives say the United States deserves special consideration as it is in better condition than many European countries when it comes to food safety and the strength of the animal health system, especially animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease. I am.
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“Even if the EU rushes to introduce a’universal’approach to food import certification in all countries, the safety of US dairy products is not recognized. To Vilsack and Thailand.
As U.S. exporters rush to sell before the August deadline, Washington and Brussels government officials have come up with a solution to keep trade flowing, even if it’s just a postponement of new certification requirements. I’m about to put it out.Government officials say Agripulse.
Crysta Harden, USDEC
Due to ongoing delicate talks, European and US officials agreed to talk only about the background.
One government official said Washington is working hard to bend Brussels. “We are fully concerned that we are really pushing it.”
Mulhern and Harden say they are dissatisfied. In particular, Europe has more access to the American dairy market than Europe.
“If the EU is not truly ready to reform its agricultural trade tactics, the United States will have to make the difficult decision to fight fire,” they said in a letter to Vilsack and Thailand.
“Our industry is forced to scramble every few years when EU import document requirements are changed just for the EU to stick to dairy exports, while the EU is about 1.5 billion each year. I am deeply dissatisfied with the easy and reliable access to this market for dollar dairy products, more than a tenth of that level. This persistent EU disregard for the impact of changes in agricultural regulations on trading partners is It must end in order to have the hope of resetting trade relations in good faith. “
According to EU officials, the European Commission has been very flexible in responding to requests for consultation, but emphasized that the deadline still remains. Officials did not say whether the change was agreed.
“We are in talks and hope to find a solution,” an official said.
Source: industry-update.com
