WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) applauded the U.S. Senate's passage today of the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (H.R. 3688). The bill, which marks the first trade vote for the 110th Congress, passed in the Senate by a 77-18 vote. The House of Representatives passed the legislation last month by a vote of 285-132.
"The strong bipartisan support demonstrated last month by the House of Representatives and today by the Senate sends a strong signal to our trading partners that the United States truly is committed to trade liberalization," said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO. "We hope it will set a good precedent for trade votes in the future."
Upon implementation of the agreement, U.S. dairy exporters will gain immediate duty-free and quota-free access to Peru for exports of whey and lactose. The agreement also will allow sizeable amounts of tariff-free access for U.S. cheese, ice cream and processed dairy products. U.S. dairy exports to Peru last year were valued at $12 million.
Exports have become increasingly important to the U.S. dairy industry, and IDFA strongly supports free-trade agreements that will increase market access for dairy products. Over the last five years, the value of U.S. dairy product exports has doubled, reaching a record high of $1.8 billion in 2006.
"The United States has become a serious player in the global trade for dairy products, and decreasing foreign trade barriers is the key to increasing our exports," Tipton said. "Our dairy exports are now poised to grow even more under this agreement."
The Senate vote is the last step in the congressional approval process, setting the stage for President George Bush to sign the agreement into law by the end of the year.
"We look forward to supporting Congress on its work relating to pending trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and Korea as well," Tipton said.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, DC, represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $90-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at http://www.idfa.org/.
International Dairy Foods Association
