A professor of mine once distilled all of corporate law into four simple words: Don’t be a pig. Europeans negotiating a free trade deal with the U.S. aren’t heeding that sound advice.
The European Union wants to expand rules that identify products by where they originate — so-called Geographical Indications or GIs — as a way to increase its sales of cheese. This means that U.S. companies would no longer be able to sell cheese labeled with common names such as parmesan, feta and asiago in the U.S. market. Right now, the U.S. has agreed to abide by GIs for cheeses that come from very specific regions, such as Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. But U.S. cheese makers are still permitted to use generic cheese names as they have been doing for decades.
As recent emails between U.S. and EU representatives show, though, European countries aren’t willing to accept this arrangement. In March, the EU released a list of more than 200 food products it believes should be covered by GI protections, including some of the most popular U.S cheeses. This represents approximately 14 percent of U.S. cheese production valued at approximately $4.2 billion per year. As U.S. negotiators race to complete the giant U.S.-EU trade deal, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP), they must resist Europe’s provocations and ensure that American dairy products are on a level playing field with their European counterparts.
