A bipartisan coalition of senators and House members on Wednesday introduced a bill to define a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging of products that originated in Europe and that the European Union has said should only be used when the products come from certain places in Europe.
The practice of limiting the use of names is known as “geographic indicators.”
The bill would also direct the agriculture secretary and the U.S. trade representative to negotiate with foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for ag commodities in those same foreign markets.
The bill was introduced by Reps. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.; Jim Costa, D-Calif.; Michelle Fischbach, R-Minn.; and Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif.; and Sens. John Thune, R-S.D.; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; and Tina Smith, D-Minn.
The Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978.
The bill text does not name specific products, but directs the Agriculture Department to develop a list. A news release from the bipartisan, bicameral coalition said, “Common food and drink names such as parmesan, chateau, and bologna are used around the world to describe products to consumers.”
“However, due to geographic indication to European locations, the European Union has begun using economic and political influence to implement unfair trade practices under the guise of protecting geographic indicators. These unfair trade practices have the potential to block United States agricultural products from being sold in international markets.”
“Requiring U.S. producers to change the names of their food is confusing for consumers and costly to producers and manufacturers,” said Johnson. “The SAVE Act ensures American producers retain vital access to foreign markets in a time that may be more critical than ever.”
“Monopolizing common food names could have major ramifications on American producers and our food supply chain,” said Costa. “This bipartisan bill will protect American goods from unfair trading practices that could minimize access to global markets and increase costs for consumers.”
“By exploiting valid geographical indication protections, global competitors have for decades tried to limit competition, block imports, and restrict American-made products from being able to use common food and beverage names,” said Thune. “I’m proud to lead this effort in the Senate to help level the playing field for U.S. producers by ensuring they can use common food names and preserve and expand foreign market access for their products.”
“Our ‘Made in Wisconsin’ agricultural and food products are rightfully world-renowned for their quality. But, when foreign countries penalize our producers for using common names like parmesan or cheddar, their unfair trade practices stunt the growth of ‘Made in Wisconsin’ businesses on the international market,” said Baldwin. “That’s why I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation that ensures Wisconsin producers and farmers can continue to compete internationally, grow their businesses and keep Wisconsin on the map around the world.”
The U.S. dairy industry has been particularly concerned about the spread of geographic indicator requirements in trade agreements that the European Union has reached with other countries.
Source: thefencepost.com
Photo Credit: GettyImages-Art Wager
Categories: Wisconsin, Government & Policy