News media in the US and Canada are reporting signs of a deal coming together on access for dairy products into North America as trade ministers gather in Atlanta, Georgia, trying to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The Atlanta talks are being billed as potentially the final round of talks, although New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser has yet to commit to attend them, despite being in the US this week for climate change talks in New York.
He said almost a week ago that there was still no adequate offer from the key TPP dairy-producing countries – the US, Canada and Japan.
Market access for dairy products and automobiles, and patent extensions for new generation bio-logic pharmaceuticals, are reportedly the only remaining sticking points of substance between the 12 countries negotiating the new Pacific Rim agreement.
Reports over the weekend suggest that the US and Canada are both preparing to move on their highly protected markets, despite protests from their dairy sectors.
Weekend reports now point to the US signalling willingness to open its dairy market to some extent for imports from New Zealand and Australia.
The Inside US Trade newsletter quotes the US National Milk Producers Federation and Dairy Export Council as expressing alarm that US officials have gone ahead and developed dairy market access proposals which could open the US market to Canadian imports without a reciprocal ability.
A report in the Toronto Star quotes Canadian international trade minister Ed Fast as saying reports that Canada would open its dairy market to US imports are “absolutely false”.
CBC News had reported that Canadian negotiators were preparing to open up “a significant share” of Canada’s domestic dairy market, including fluid milk, butter, cheese, yoghurt and milk powders.
Dairy Farmers of Canada spokesman Isabelle Bouchard, however, appeared to accept that concessions may be prised out of Canada to allow TPP to be concluded, according to the iPolitics website.
Source: NZcity
