Britain’s vote in June to leave the European Union (EU) carries with it a mass of unknowns. In fact, the only certain thing about the outcome is continued uncertainty.

Before the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), U.S. cheese exporters faced a 245% out-of-quota tariff if they wanted to ship to Canada. After TPP is implemented, U.S. cheese exporters will continue to face a 245% out-of-quota tariff, but with the opportunity to compete for a larger quota of various cheeses.

The United States needs to step up its export game and compete harder to take advantage of continued gains in emerging-market dairy demand.

Dairy proteins can prevent stunting, slow sarcopenia, reduce incidence of low birth weight and more. We are helping UNICEF in its application to Codex for a global standard for ready-to-use foods with dairy in the formulation.

The sky isn’t falling but right now it is hard to play Pollyanna’s Glad Game. Be patient. The good news is that, in the long-term, today’s bad news isn’t so bad.

The European Union removes production quotas on April 1. Export volumes from the region are expected to increase across all product categories.

Food fads come and go but years of planning, investment, execution and patience are necessary to see an eventual payoff from dairy research.

The United States has arrived as a major player in the global dairy market. But if U.S. dairy exporters do not show continuous improvement, and if rules and regulations are not altered, then off-shore dairy and nondairy competitors will chip away at our position.

 A growing population, the rise of a middle class and demand for innovative and healthy dairy foods contribute to a rise in U.S. dairy exports to the Middle East and North Africa at exporting.