Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president of trade and workforce policy at the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), joins us for Episode 52 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss “Tariffs and Supply Chain Challenges.” Based in Washington, D.C., the IDFA, since 1990, represents the dairy manufacturing industry, including cheese, milk, and ice cream processors. Rasdall Vargas has the challenge of negotiating public posing and staying on top of the Trump administration’s rapidly changing policy announcements.

Prior to joining IDFA on the private sector side in 2020, Rasdall Vargas helped negotiate a set of regulations that furthered U.S. imports to China and then honed her skills by serving as one of the U.S. government negotiators in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Rasdall Vargas is a staunch advocate for dairy policy and is committed to working with its members, the Trump Administration, and Congress to improving U.S. dairy access worldwide while managing the fluidity of retaliatory tariffs and other policy challenges.

During this podcast, Rasdall Vargas discusses the following:

• The latest on potential tariffs against Mexico and Canada — our neighbors and biggest trade partners — as it currently stands in early April. Has there been a 60-day delay on tariffs so dairy brands have time to adjust their supply chains, which is crucial for food security?
• What’s happening with retaliatory tariffs and how that will impact imports and exports of dairy products to Mexico, Canada, China, India, etc.
• Even before the 2025 inauguration, IDFA developed a position on tariffs that asked the Administration and Congress to focus any tariff actions on 1) being targeted to specific sectors and countries (not broad and general); 2) be time-bound; and 3) be established with the goal of negotiating improved access. How is IDFA weathering this storm of scare tactics and bullying?
• Cheese might be one of the most vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs by Mexico. Last year, nearly 40% of U.S. exports went to Mexico, which was worth $2.47 billion in sales. How will tariffs impact sales of dairy products?
• Talk about the World Trade Organization and proposals related to port fees being levied on Chinese ships and the repercussions to U.S. imports and exports if ocean freight liners skip U.S. ports to avoid hefty fees.
• During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were supply chain backups and shipping delays. Yet, the dairy industry was resilient. How does this tariff situation compare?
• Many think of dairy as only focusing on exports, but it’s so much more than that. Talk about our globalized supply chain that uses ingredients, packaging, aluminum, manufacturing equipment, and more that’s imported from all over the world.

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