U.S. Dairy Groups Press Mexico Over Cheese Names in USMCA Review
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) presented their concerns during discussions in Mexico City over the review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA or T-MEC. The groups oppose possible restrictions on generic cheese names following Mexico’s move to strengthen protection for European geographical indications.
The terms cited by the organisations include feta, asiago, gruyere, gorgonzola, fontina, munster and neufchatel. Their position comes as Mexico modernises its trade agreement with the European Union and addresses the protection of more than 340 European geographical indications.
The NMPF describes Mexico as an “invaluable and irreplaceable” market. Mexican purchases of dairy products from the United States exceed $2.5bn a year, according to the federation. In 2025, Mexico imported 232,000 tonnes of cheese, with about 202,000 tonnes, or 87%, supplied by the United States.
The US Department of Agriculture expects Mexican cheese imports to reach 240,000 tonnes in 2026. The same projection puts domestic Mexican production at 495,000 tonnes and internal consumption at 726,000 tonnes. U.S. suppliers account for about 28% of all cheese consumed in Mexico.
U.S. dairy groups say Mexico’s handling of geographical indications does not meet obligations under the intellectual-property chapter of the USMCA. They have questioned decisions by Mexico’s Institute of Industrial Property and proposals that would shorten the period for challenging a geographical indication to 30 days. The groups are seeking what they describe as more rigorous opposition procedures before exclusive rights are granted to European names.
The cheese dispute is part of a wider trade agenda for the U.S. dairy industry. In parallel, the NMPF is in conflict with Canada over the administration of tariff-rate quotas that have restricted U.S. dairy access to the Canadian market. The federation alleges that more than 147,000 tonnes of skimmed-milk blends were shipped to the United States under alternative tariff classifications to avoid restrictions.
The discussions with Mexico concern labelling and the commercial use of generic cheese names. The source describes their outcome as relevant to the ratification of the USMCA and to competition between North American and European dairy products in Mexico.
