Ernst: Hold Canada and Mexico Accountable for Their Commitments to Iowa's Dairy Farmers

Statement

One month after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMA) went into effect, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Rural Development & Energy, is calling on the Administration to hold Canada and Mexico accountable for their trade obligations to Iowa's dairy farmers. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary and the U.S. Trade Representative, Ernst and her colleagues call on the officials to utilize the enforcement measures in the agreement to hold both countries accountable.

In the letter, Ernst and her colleagues state, "Fair market access for American dairy farmers was a key pillar of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement's (USMCA) agriculture section. USMCA is poised to create new export opportunities for America's dairy industry and a more equitable playing field for American dairy exports in Mexico and Canada, but effective implementation will be critical to realizing these gains."

After outlining the dairy provisions, they go on to say, "Given the importance of these provisions to our dairy farmers and to American dairy exports, we ask that you use USMCA's enforcement measures, as appropriate, to hold our trading partners accountable to their trade commitments. It is imperative that Canada and Mexico deliver upon their agreed upon commitments related to dairy products."

Senator Ernst pushed for the USMCA, a modernized trade agreement with Iowa's top two trading partners, for over a year. After helping it get across the finish line in the Senate, Ernst joined President Trump at the White House for the signing of the trade deal.

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