IDFA Welcomes the Confirmation of Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association released the following statement by Michael Dykes, D.V.M., IDFA president and CEO, regarding the confirmation of Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative:

"IDFA and our dairy foods company members congratulate Ambassador Robert Lighthizer on his confirmation as U.S. Trade Representative.

"We are committed to working with the Ambassador and other Trump Administration officials to develop and implement an effective U.S. trade policy that increases exports and allows greater market access for U.S. dairy products.

"Canada has a long history of not honoring its trade agreements regarding U.S. dairy imports. We appreciate this administration's efforts to address these problems and to obtain fair market access for U.S. dairy exports to Canada.  We welcome the experience and expertise that the Ambassador now brings to these important discussions with the Canadian government.

"As an industry, we support the administration's call to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement. Without this trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, the United States would stand to lose billions of dollars annually in dairy exports and tens of thousands of farming and manufacturing jobs in communities across the country. U.S. dairy exports to Mexico alone now account for one quarter of total dairy exports, providing about 30,000 American jobs.

"We look forward to meeting with the Ambassador and continuing discussion on these and other trade issues."

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 nearly 525 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 operate more than 600 manufacturing facilities 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.

SOURCE International Dairy Foods Association

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http://www.idfa.org/