Dairy, poultry, grains, oilseeds and produce industry leaders told House Ag lawmakers this week that NAFTA modernization talks with Canada and Mexico should “do no harm” to their sectors, but only improve trade opportunities. ‘Preserve what’s working…strengthen what can be better…and fix what’s broken’ was the message from former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, now president and CEO of the US …
NMPF Urges FDA: Enforce U.S. Standards for Dairy Food Labeling
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) long absence of enforcement of its own food standards has allowed the marketing of hundreds of deceptively labeled dairy imitators – a situation requiring immediate action by the federal government, National Milk Producers Federation officials told the agency during a high-level meeting in Maryland. Food policy staff from the National Milk Producers Federation …
NMPF Officer, Michigan Cooperative President Highlights Concerns with Dairy Safety Net in Senate Farm Bill Hearing
Congress must revise the dairy safety net program established in the 2014 Farm Bill to provide farmers with effective risk management protection that will increase participation in the program, according to Ken Nobis, president of the Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) and first vice-chair of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), who spoke at a 2018 Farm Bill hearing today. …
NMPF Proposal to Improve H-2A for Dairy Advances Thanks to Rep. Newhouse
In a meeting with Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), National Milk Producers Federation President and CEO Jim Mulhern expressed appreciation on behalf of the nation’s dairy farmers for the congressman’s work to advance NMPF’s proposal to expand the H-2A farm worker visa program to include year-round employees on dairy farms. During consideration Wednesday of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s annual …
U.S. Dairy Increasing Pressure on Canada
The U.S. dairy lobby is putting increasing pressure on Canada as the talks to redo NAFTA draw closer. People close to the situation told Reuters that America’s dairy farmers want concessions that Canada doesn’t seem likely to grant. The deal could be a hindrance to the upcoming NAFTA talks, under which Canada sends a lot of its exports to the …
Heat Wave Could Affect Butter Production
Butter production could eventually be affected by the June California heat wave: That’s the conclusion of an American Farm Bureau market analysis. Cows typically produce less milk–and less milk fat–during hot weather. The analysis says that could ultimately affect the amount of butter produced in California, which accounts for about 30 percent of the nation’s production. But it’s unknown whether …
Demonstrating Careful Antibiotic Stewardship
by Jim Mulhern, President, and CEO National Milk Producers Federation The rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria seen in the United States and elsewhere in the world is frequently and unfairly blamed on antibiotic use in agriculture. This is unfortunate because it tends to mask the real problem: misuse of antibiotics in human medicine. The reality is that the vast majority of …
International Dairy Groups Join U.S. in Calling for Action Against Unfair Canadian Trade Policies
An international coalition of 10 dairy industry organizations, including three U.S. dairy groups, is asking their governments’ trade ministers to intercede in the increasingly acrimonious dispute over Canada’s harmful dairy policies that is having global repercussions. The groups co-signed a joint letter today requesting that their respective trade ministries “pursue all avenues available to challenge these measures, including WTO dispute …
NMPF Leaders Applaud European High Court Ruling Preventing Imitators from Using Dairy Names
The recent European Court of Justice ruling upholding European Union regulations that prevent plant-based dairy alternatives from using terms like “milk,” “cheese” and “yogurt” is a victory for the same battle occurring in the United States, leaders of the National Milk Producers Federation told their French dairy counterparts. During a visit, Friday with French dairy cooperative Sodiaal and the French …
Eastern Canada Dairy Producers Get Quota Increase
Canada’s dairy producers in the nation’s eastern provinces will receive a five percent quota increase July first. Five provinces in eastern Canada have approved the increase. The move follows a series of smaller increases that began last year. Dairy Farmers of Ontario says the increase is needed because there still isn’t enough milk produced to fill the market with butter. …