On May 22, Costa Rica’s National Animal Health Service (SENASA) officially approved the first American dairy cooperative for export to Costa Rica, making it the first U.S. dairy facility to be registered under the new streamlined approval process that eases market access for U.S. dairy products. This first registration paves the way for future U.S. dairy exports to Costa Rica, a $60 million market in 2024, that could have been lost if the Trump Administration was not able to navigate their new process.

Becky Rasdall Vargas, senior vice president of Trade and Workforce Policy with the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), released the following statement today recognizing a new streamlined approval process for U.S. dairy exports to Costa Rica.

“On behalf the U.S. dairy industry, IDFA celebrates the announcement today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Trump Administration that Costa Rica has officially approved the first American dairy facility for export under Costa Rica’s new streamlined approval process meant to ease market access for U.S. dairy products. This win has been several years in the making, and IDFA is grateful to have worked in partnership with USDA, the U.S. dairy industry, and the government of Costa Rica to remove this technical barrier to trade, providing expanded access to one of the most important and growing Central American markets for U.S. dairy; specifically, IDFA provided technical assistance to USDA on the process for establishment registration and food safety systems evaluation.

“Costa Rica is a market growing in importance for U.S. dairy. After being a net importer of dairy products a decade ago, the United States now exports more than $8 billion worth of dairy products to 145 countries. U.S. dairy exports topped $8.2 billion in 2024, with Central American markets surging, including Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador all importing record values of U.S. dairy. In fact, U.S. dairy exports to Costa Rica doubled in value between 2021 to 2024, growing from $31 million to $60 million.

“Markets in Central America, Southeast Asia and India are where many U.S. dairy exporters see significant opportunity for growth, and we therefore applaud this win and urge USDA and the Trump Administration to continue to take an aggressive, strategic approach to opening preferential market access for U.S. dairy, including by leveraging tariffs as a short-term tool for long-term gain meant to discipline the terms of trade with another country.”