An Illinois dairy processor highlighted the importance of exports to dairy manufacturing jobs in a virtual townhall organized by Farmers for Free Trade (FFT) today. Chris Hoeger, vice president of procurement for Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., participated in a panel with Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD), farmers and economists to discuss the critical role U.S. agricultural exports have in supporting the rural economy.
A participant in the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council’s (USDEC) Dairy Trade Envoys program, Hoeger joined with the panel in calling on the U.S. government to pursue comprehensive trade deals. He noted that, in the absence of negotiations on tariff reductions, American dairy exporters face an increasingly unbalanced playing field as the European Union and New Zealand forge ahead with new agreements.
“We appreciate the Administration’s important work in enforcing existing trade deals, including USMCA, but without new access opportunities, U.S. dairy exports will continue to face a disadvantage, and American jobs will suffer as a result,” Hoeger shared in his remarks. “Workers in the dairy industry want the Biden trade policy strategy to include following through with agreements already under negotiation, such as with the United Kingdom, a big dairy importing market, as well as going after new deals.”
NMPF and USDEC are members of FFT. Both play an active role in helping the organization carry out its mission of informing the public about the benefits of free trade and supporting the pursuit of beneficial trade agreements that expand export opportunities for American farmers and workers throughout the export supply chain.