IDFA Urges U.S. Government to Address Global Trade Barriers and Expand Market Opportunities for U.S. Dairy

IDFA Urges U.S. Government to Address Global Trade Barriers and Expand Market Opportunities for U.S. Dairy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2026 - The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) submitted formal comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) highlighting trade barriers affecting U.S. dairy exports and urging the Trump Administration to continue working to strengthen U.S. dairy's global competitiveness.

U.S. dairy exports have doubled over the past decade, eclipsing $9.5 billion in value in 2025 and helping fuel $15 billion in announced dairy processing investments in the U.S. to meet rising demand at home and abroad. Removing trade barriers and expanding access to more markets will be critical to sustaining that momentum and ensuring U.S. dairy farmers and processors can capitalize on new opportunities.

The comments, submitted for consideration in USTR's 2027 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE), identifies ongoing and emerging challenges for U.S. dairy exporters in key markets including Canada, China, the European Union (EU), Indonesia, India, Malysia, Mexico and Türkiye. Collectively, these markets represent more than 54% of all U.S. dairy exports, totaling over $5 billion in 2025.

Among the most pressing barriers cited in IDFA's comments are:

• Milk class pricing and tariff-rate quota administration in Canada;
• Environmental reporting regulations in the EU;
• Facility registration standards in Türkiye; and
• Product registration requirements in Malaysia.

IDFA's submission also commends the Administration's recent progress in addressing barriers to U.S. exports, including through the implementation of the U.S. - Cambodia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) and achieving a two-year delay of Indonesia's expanded halal certification requirements.

"IDFA appreciates the Trump Administration's commitment to reducing trade barriers on behalf of U.S. dairy exporters," said Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president for trade and workforce policy at IDFA. "Exports account for nearly 20% of all U.S. dairy production, making access to global markets essential to our industry's growth and competitiveness. We look forward to continuing to work with USTR to remove unnecessary trade barriers and create new opportunities for U.S. dairy farmers, processors and workers."

IDFA's advocacy in these markets also align with IDFA's ongoing efforts to strengthen the U.S. dairy industry's long-term resilience through an effort to diversify our export market opportunities.

"U.S. dairy is poised for continued export growth, yet 58% of our exports go to just five countries," said Michael Dykes, president and CEO of IDFA. "We see tremendous opportunity to bring American-made dairy products to more consumers in new and emerging markets around the world. That means defending access to our established trading partners while removing barriers and opening new markets, enabling our industry to meet growing global demand and build long-term resilience."

To learn more about IDFA's work to expand and diversify U.S. dairy export opportunities, visit the Project Diversify webpage which includes region-specific research and reports as well as an IDFA member-only interactive market intelligence tool.

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Contact: [email protected]

About The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3 million jobs that generate $198 billion in wages and $779 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA's diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.