Western South Dakota News

Washington, D.C. – On May 23, 2023, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson’s (R-S.D.)  Safeguarding American Value-Added Exports (SAVE) Act gained wide industry support upon introduction last week.

“The misuse of geographical indications has been hurting U.S. dairy for years, and the European Union continues its efforts to monopolize common cheese names like parmesan and feta,” said Krysta Harden, President and CEO of U.S. Dairy Export Council. “American dairy exporters welcome the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral SAVE Act on May 23 that will direct the U.S. government to take decisive action to counter the EU’s destructive campaign. This new emphasis on protecting common names is a much-needed step in the right direction to ensure that our producers can sell their products in markets around the world.”

“The lack of strong action by previous administrations has allowed the European Union to misuse and abuse its geographical indications, hurting U.S. exporters in several markets,” said Jaime Castaneda, Executive Director of Consortium for Common Food Names. “This new emphasis on protecting common names is a much-needed step in the right direction to ensure that our producers can sell their products in markets around the world. For years, the European Union has been using illegitimate GIs to boost its own producers at the expense of others, putting a tremendous political priority on giving European companies a leg up over producers in the U.S. and other countries,” noted Castaneda. “It is time that our government takes a more proactive approach to tackling this challenge so that we can turn the tide to stand up for food and beverage producers relying on common names.”

“NASDA supports the SAVE Act which would retain the use of long-held generic food names and protects U.S. food, beverage, and agricultural products from foreign competitors and the restriction of U.S. trade,” saidTed McKinney, CEO of National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.

“I would like to thank Senators Thune and Baldwin and Representatives Johnson, Costa, Fischbach and Panetta for their leadership in introducing the SAVE Act on May 23” said Chuck Conner, President and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. “As Congress begins work on the 2023 Farm Bill, we strongly urge inclusion of this language in the final package. Doing so is essential to helping America’s farmers and their co-ops remain competitive in markets around the globe.”

“Consumers around the world have long enjoyed meat products labeled ‘prosciutto,’ ‘bologna,’ ‘chorizo,’ and ‘salami,’” said Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the North American Meat Institute. “Increasingly, however, the ability of U.S. producers to label their products with common meat terms is under threat, as foreign trade competitors, particularly the European Union, use free trade agreements and other means to advance specious, protectionist geographic indications (GI) restrictions designed to undermine competition and create an uneven playing field that advantages their domestic food and beverage producers.  By promoting common food and beverage names in international trade negotiations, the SAVE Act will help curb the proliferation of ill-conceived GI restrictions that hinder U.S. meat export potential and place at risk hundreds of thousands of American workers whose livelihoods depend upon robust international markets for their products.”

“This legislation will bolster our government’s efforts to protect the rights of U.S. wineries to use traditional terms and generic winegrape varietal names and represents an important step in expanding access for U.S. wines to key markets around the world,” said the Wine Institute.

Original source can be found here.