CCFN Fights For Food Name Rights And Overseas Market Access At USTR
Consortium for Common Food Names (CCFN) Executive Director Jaime Castaneda testified on February 21st before U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) trade policy staff on the need for the U.S. government to proactively secure protections from trading partners that guarantee the right of producers to use common food and beverage names, such as “parmesan” or “feta.”
The public hearing complemented USTR’s annual Special 301 review, which aims to identify countries that are inadequately defending intellectual property (IP) rights. This review then informs USTR’s engagement on IP issues for the following year.
In addition to CCFN, Wednesday’s public hearing included testimony from a wide range of industries, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association, Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, Intellectual Property Owners Association and many others.
Emphasizing The Importance Of Common Food Names
CCFN, with the support of its members as well as the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the National Milk Producers Federation, responded to the agency’s request for information in January, submitting comments that emphasized the need for U.S. government action on this issue and reiterated how U.S. producers are negatively impacted when the European Union (EU) confiscates common names. Based on extensive research and feedback from membership, CCFN also detailed the specific markets that the administration should prioritize work in to preserve export opportunities.
EU’s Misuse Of Geographical Indications
In his testimony, Castaneda detailed how the EU misuses geographical indications and why producers and exporters need the U.S. government to match the EU’s efforts on common names.
“The United States has unmatched economic and political influence — now is the time to use it,” Castaneda said during the hearing. “We applaud the Biden administration for increasing the awareness with other countries to respect our agreements and their intellectual property rules. Yet, there is much more that can be done, and the U.S. government must intensify its support of U.S. farmers’ and manufacturers’ ability to compete fairly in foreign markets by securing firm and explicit commitments ensuring the future ability to use commonly used generic food and beverage terms that are being targeted by or at risk of EU monopolization efforts.”
The SAVE Act: A Step Forward For Common Food Names
As part of its mission to preserve the right to use generic food and beverage names, CCFN has championed the Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act, introduced last year to spur greater administration-led action on common names. The SAVE Act has garnered broad industry and congressional support and is awaiting inclusion in the farm bill.
U.S. Trade Representative’s Commitment To Agriculture
In other trade news, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai last Friday delivered remarks at USDA’s 100th Annual Agriculture Outlook Forum (see related story). Tai highlighted how the Biden-Harris Administration’s economic policies have lowered trade barriers abroad for U.S. agricultural products and increased access for farmers and producers in global markets. She also affirmed the administration’s commitment to crafting a more inclusive and fair economy, especially for those in rural areas.
Achievements In Agricultural Exports And Trade Agreements
“I am glad to tell you that, over the past three years, we have seen the highest levels of agricultural exports and record levels of farm income. We have been working hard to open markets for U.S. products, and we have secured real, economically meaningful wins,” she said during her address.
She also noted the importance of enforcing existing trade agreements so that U.S. farmers and producers enjoy the full benefits of those agreements, pointing to actions taken related to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). For example, she said, in August the United States established a dispute settlement panel under USMCA to address Mexico’s policies on biotech corn. There also is ongoing work to bring Canada in line with its commitments on dairy trade under USMCA.
“We continue to have serious concerns about how Canada is implementing the dairy market access commitments under the USMCA. We will continue to work with Canada to address this issue, but we will also not hesitate to use all available tools to enforce our trade agreements,” she said.
“That is because, if we really want to see trade benefit more people across our economies, we need to follow the rules we agreed to. It is fundamentally about fairness, and our administration will continue to fight so that U.S. farmers, ranchers, producers, exporters and their workers receive the full benefits of our existing trade agreement,” she added.
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Source: Cheese Market News