Canada And US Battling Over Dairy Products

May 26, 2021

Canada could soon be facing a legal challenge by the US under the new NAFTA.

Washington alleges Canada is mistreating the American dairy industry, by making it next to impossible for certain US dairy products to make it across the border. Under the USMCA, that was signed last summer, Canada has to accept certain dairy products from the US. But in a statement this week, US officials said actions being taken by Canada undermine the ability of American dairy exporters to sell a wide range of those products to Canadian consumers. As a result of failed talks, the US called for a dispute settlement panel to resolve the issue...something that Ottawa described as disappointing.

In a statement, Canada's trade minister Mary NG said under the new NAFTA, Canada agreed to provide some additional market access to the US for dairy, while successfully defending supply management. She added she was confident Canada's policies are in full compliance with the USMCA. A spokesman for President Joe Biden said a top priority for the administration is to fully enforce the new agreement and ensure it benefits American workers. Canada's dairy industry was forced to give up more than 3 percent market share in order to secure the new NAFTA. The federal government is promising to compensate dairy producers, billions of dollars in the coming years, for the loss of that market share.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.