The dairy industry has voiced its opposition of the recent European Union-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), arguing the agreement contains provisions on geographical indications, and reallocates a portion of the World Trade Organization tariff rate quota for cheese to the EU, which would create trade barriers for the US dairy industry that would limit its access to the Canadian market.
Provisions on the geographical indications grant protection to the EU for “asiago,” “feta,” “fontina,” “gorgonzola” and “munster,” according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). Because of this, future cheese producers will be required to add qualifiers such as “style” or “kind” on those particular cheeses.