American Dairy Product Gains Momentum in China

The U.S. dairy industry has tapped into the Chinese market with a by-product known as whey, which continues to grow in popularity. As the leading global supplier of high-protein milk whey, known as WPC80+, the United States exported approximately 307,000 metric tons to China in 2023.

Jaime Castaneda, executive vice president for policy development and strategy of the National Milk Producers Federation, emphasized the significance of China as a major export market. The demand is primarily driven by the pork production industry in China, which relies heavily on whey as animal feed.

Despite facing high tariffs compared to competitors like Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. has managed to partially mitigate these barriers through a waiver system, reducing tariffs from 32% to 8%. Castaneda sees potential in further expansion of U.S. dairy products such as cheese, bolstered by diplomatic engagements to lower tariffs even further.

Castaneda remains optimistic about renegotiating conditions under President Trump's administration, hoping for better trading conditions with countries like China.