Connecticut Delegation Urges U.S. Negotiators to Protect Connecticut Farms & Prevent Unfair Labeling Restrictions

WASHINGTON, DC (February 10, 2016) – Today, after hearing directly from concerned dairy farmers and cheese producers throughout Connecticut, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and U.S. Representatives John Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Jim Himes (CT-04), and Elizabeth Esty (CT-05) urged the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect Connecticut's farmers in the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement by preventing the European Union (EU) from imposing inappropriate barriers to U.S. food labeling that could harm Connecticut farmers and cost the U.S. cheese production industry up to $4.2 billion per year.

In a letter to United States Trade Representative Michael Froman and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack, the Connecticut delegation emphasized that the EU's implementation of geographic indicators – which are signs used to specify that products come from a specific geographical origin – would prevent the American agricultural industry from labeling their products with common food names, such as "Asiago," "Feta," or "Gorgonzola" among many other names, and hamper the ability of Connecticut cheese producers to export their products and compete with EU companies on a level playing field.

The delegation said, "Unfairly restricting labels for cheeses like asiago just because it isn't made in Asiago, Italy, makes no sense. Locally-produced cheese, dairy, and other products are in high demand, and international trade negotiations shouldn't be the reason why Connecticut farmers all of a sudden can't sell certain types of popular, well-recognized products. We should be focused on leveling the playing field and breaking down barriers to expand U.S. exports, not on making it more difficult for local dairy farmers and cheese producers to compete."

The full letter is available here.