The state agriculture commissioner is calling on federal authorities to enforce fair trade measures that he says some Canadian dairies have not been following.

Despite a May 2003 agreement intended to level the playing field for the U.S. and Canadian dairies, illegal product from outside the milk supply management system continues to be exported, state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker contended.

“While I applaud the current legal efforts by Canadian authorities to stop this illicit milk production, the matter has continued for far too long,” Hooker wrote in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. “In the nearly 10 years that have elapsed since the initial complaint, Canadian dairy producers continue to benefit from a system that does not conform to World Trade Organization requirements.”

Hooker argues the allowance of milk from outside the established system gives unfair footing to Canadian producers. A Federal Import Milk Act Permit issued by the federal Food and Drug Administration allows the practice to continue, according to a press release from the Department of Agriculture and Markets.