Senators Urge Administration Resistance to Planned EU Cheese Import Restrictions
The Obama Administration should push back against European Union (EU) efforts to restrict U.S. cheese exports by mandating geographical indication (GI) regulations on imported cheese, said Sens. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and others in a March 11…
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to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. Through the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the EU may attempt to impose restrictions on common cheese names, such as feta and Parmesan, by determining those cheeses must have particular geographic origins. “In the states that we represent, many small or medium-sized family owned farms and firms could have their business unfairly restricted by the EU's push to use geographical indications as a barrier to dairy trade and competition,” said the joint letter. “As we begin to engage in TTIP negotiations that are ultimately intended to bring about a better economic climate on both sides of the Atlantic by lowering barriers to trade, we strongly oppose the EU's gratuitous use of GIs as a protectionist measure.”