ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today welcomed the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Doug McKalip as chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
“USDEC
commends the U.S. Senate for
taking an important step today in confirming Doug McKalip to serve as U.S. agriculture’s top trade official,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “Doug’s impressive career as a public servant working on a wide breadth of agricultural issues brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this key role. We believe he will serve as an advocate for a forward-leaning trade policy agenda that brings tangible results to U.S. dairy producers, processors and workers throughout the dairy supply chain.”
“The role of the agriculture ambassador is critical to elevating U.S. agricultural priorities within USTR and with our trading partners,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “Today’s Senate confirmation of Doug ensures that American dairy farmers will be strongly represented at the negotiating table as the U.S. pursues full implementation of USMCA dairy terms and engages in trade discussions with Indo-Pacific partners and others. Doug understands the value that comprehensive trade agreements have brought to American farmers and ranchers, and we encourage him to be a vocal advocate for new agricultural market access opportunities.”
The confirmation comes at a time when international demand for dairy is at a record high. However, headwinds persist for U.S. dairy exporters, whether in the form of tariffs that put U.S. suppliers at a competitive disadvantage or through a variety of nontariff barriers. McKalip’s confirmation is an important step to addressing the hurdles and ensuring U.S. dairy exports continue their strong growth into the future.
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The U.S. Dairy Export Council is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record. www.usdec.org.
