Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) has responded to the proposal made by the United States in the latest round of NAFTA talks taking place near Washington. It is being reported that the U.S. wants Canada to be more transparent about its supply management system for dairy.
The following statement was issued by DFC's Director of Communications and Government Relations, Isabelle Bouchard:
“We are not surprised by the U.S. demands, they are in line with the demands they have made in other sectors - they are outrageous. We have been made aware that texts have been tabled by the Americans on agriculture, which include provisions on dairy. We are being briefed and consulted by Canada’s negotiating team, but we have signed a confidentiality agreement, so we are not free to discuss any details. The Canadian government has been clear, it will not negotiate in public, and we won’t either.
“Given that the U.S. dairy industry has publicly demanded market access, we still expect to see a demand on this from the U.S. government at some point during the negotiations. Let’s not forget that market access are technically under NTMA (National Treatment and Market Access).
Source : Steinbachonline