Bipartisan SAVE Act Introduced to Protect American Food Exports

Strategic Insights -

The bipartisan Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act has been introduced in the U.S. House and Senate to counter unfair trade practices by foreign countries that use geographic indication to restrict American food products from being sold in international markets. The bill, led by Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Dusty Johnson, Jim Costa, and Michelle Fischbach in the House, and Senators John Thune, Tammy Baldwin, Roger Marshall, and Tina Smith in the Senate, aims to protect American food exports by allowing U.S. producers to use common food names in foreign markets. The SAVE Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging.

Key Takeaways:

  • The SAVE Act is a bipartisan bill introduced in the House and Senate to protect American food exports from unfair trade practices by foreign countries.
  • The bill aims to allow U.S. producers to use common food names in foreign markets, such as parmesan, chateau, and bologna.
  • The SAVE Act would amend the Agriculture Trade Act of 1978 to include a list of common names for ag commodities, food products, and terms used in marketing and packaging.
  • The bill would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to negotiate with foreign trading partners to defend the right to use common names for ag commodities in foreign markets.
  • The SAVE Act has been praised by the dairy industry, with the South Dakota Dairy Producers and the National Milk Producers Federation supporting the bill.
  • The bill would help to 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.

Statistics:

  • Approximately 1 in 6 tankers of U.S. Milk is exported, showing the importance of fair treatment in a global market.
  • Roughly 70-80% of the world's cheese is made in Europe, while the United States produces around 15% of the world's cheese.
  • The dairy producer community estimates that unfair trade practices imposed by U.S. trading competition have falsely protected common names, especially for cheese varieties, and U.S. dairy farmers are at a competitive disadvantage.

Sources:

  • United States House of Representatives
  • United States Senate
  • Congressman Jimmy Panetta
  • Congressman Dusty Johnson
  • Senator John Thune
  • Senator Tammy Baldwin
  • Senator Roger Marshall
  • Senator Tina Smith
  • South Dakota Dairy Producers
  • National Milk Producers Federation
  • "The Saving American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act Introduced to Combat Unfair Trade Practices" by Congressman Jimmy Panetta
  • "Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Protect American Food Exports" by Senator John Thune