International Cheese Council of Canada Expresses Disappointment Regarding the Panel Findings of Second CUSMA Dairy Dispute

OTTAWA, ON, November 24th, 2023 – Today, the International Cheese Council of Canada (ICCC) expresses deep disappointment following the release of the second Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) dairy tariff rate quota (TRQ) dispute panel report on Canada’s administration of its dairy TRQs. 

 

“The ICCC is disheartened by the findings in the CUSMA panel report. ICCC – small and medium-sized Canadian enterprises – will continue to be prevented from fully benefiting from the market access promised under CUSMA, and therefore providing the full range of American cheeses desired by Canadian consumers”, said Joe Dal Ferro, ICCC Chair. 

Under CUSMA, which came into force on July 1, 2020, Canada agreed to provide additional market access to the United States for supply-managed goods through the creation of two new cheese TRQs. Since then, however, Canada’s TRQ administration and allocation practices have effectively limited the realization of this granted market access, leading to two trade disputes under this agreement.

 

“The ICCC continues to have deep concerns with the CUSMA dairy TRQ allocation mechanism. We will continue to advocate on behalf of importers to ensure that Canada allocates quota to those most likely to use it – to the benefit of Canadian consumers and SMEs,” added Dal Ferro. “We encourage the Canadian government to address industry concerns through the Comprehensive Review of the Allocation and Administration of Tariff Rate Quotas, which is expected to resume in 2024.”

The International Cheese Council of Canada (ICCC) will continue its work on TRQ allocation measures to ensure that quota policies live up to Canada’s treaty obligations and benefit Canadian consumers.