U.S. Dairy Gains Costa Rica Market Access

May 29, 2025
By Farms.com

USDA Breakthrough Opens Dairy Export Path to Costa Rica

In a significant boost for the American dairy sector, Costa Rica has approved the first U.S. dairy facility for export under a simplified new process.

This development signals improved trade access to Costa Rica’s $130 million dairy market, led by USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins.

This registration was completed on May 22, 2025, by Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA), under its new streamlined system for foreign dairy imports. It is the first such approval and serves as a gateway for future U.S. dairy exports to Costa Rica.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is putting Farmers First. Securing greater market access for American dairy farmers is a much-needed win for the U.S. dairy industry and will give our producers better increased access to a $130 million market in Costa Rica,” said Secretary Rollins.

This success joins a series of recent USDA victories in global trade. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) has helped India cut tariffs on U.S. Bourbon by half, unlocking an expected $2 million growth in distilled spirit exports.

FAS also worked with Panama to exclude U.S. pork from its import quota system and supported a 65,000-metric-ton soybean sale to Pakistan following the removal of a biotech ban.

Additionally, FAS helped Japan ease testing rules for U.S. almonds, which may boost almond exports to Japan by up to 10 percent.

These actions reflect USDA’s strong commitment to growing U.S. agriculture exports and reducing international trade hurdles. The Costa Rica approval is expected to be the first of many for U.S. dairy under the new system.

For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.