AgNet Weekly: Rebeckah Adcock, VP of US Government Relations, IFPA

Sabrina Halvorson AgNet Weekly

The Senate Ag Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research held a hearing June 7 on how the farm bill works for Specialty Crop producers. The Vice President of U.S. Government Relations at the International Fresh Produce Association, Rebeckah Adcock, was in attendance. She joined Sabrina Halvorson afterward to discuss the association’s message to lawmakers about the …

dairy

Dairy Industry Applauds Introduction of School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017

Dan Dairy, Education

The nation’s two leading dairy organizations applauded the introduction of a bipartisan bill to help reverse the decline in milk consumption in schools. The School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017, introduced by Representatives G.T. Thompson (R-PA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT), would allow schools to offer low-fat and fat-free milk, including flavored milk with no more than 150 calories per 8-ounce …

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Dairy Industry Welcomes Swift Action by USTR Lighthizer to Launch NAFTA Modernization Efforts

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release, Trade

The U.S. dairy industry commended Robert Lighthizer, the newly confirmed U.S. Trade Representative, for taking swift action under the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act (TPA) to begin the process for modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a notification letter sent today to Congress, Ambassador Lighthizer outlined some of the areas of the agreement that are …

dairy

Dairy Industry Applauds USDA Secretary Perdue for Supporting School Milk Options

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release

Dairy leaders thanked newly confirmed Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for recognizing the important role school milk plays in ensuring school-aged children get the nutrition they need. In one of his first actions as Secretary of Agriculture, Perdue visited Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg, Va., to announce that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will implement regulations to allow school districts …

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Trump Administration Commits to Continued Staunch Defense of U.S. Food and Beverage Manufacturers Using Common Food Names

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release

A report on intellectual property issued Friday by the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office (USTR) outlined the Trump Administration’s continuing commitment to curtailing the damaging abuses of geographical indications (GIs) – particularly by the European Union (EU). The report highlighted ongoing threats to U.S. companies that legally use common food names both within the United States and in global trade. USTR’s …

dairy

Dairy, Ag Groups Urge President Trump to Act Immediately to Halt Canada’s Continued Disregard of Trade Obligations

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release, Trade

The U.S. dairy sector and state agriculture officials urged President Donald Trump to take immediate action against Canada’s repeated and escalating disregard for its trade obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Most recently, Canada implemented a new national pricing policy that blatantly blocks American dairy exports and will enable significant dumping of Canadian dairy products onto the …

Dairy Groups Support Senate Bill

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release

New Senate legislation to enforce the proper labeling of imitation dairy products drew an endorsement today from the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), which together agreed that steps need to be taken to defend the integrity of federal food labeling standards and prevent the misbranding of dairy imitators.

Canada’s Protectionist Policies Will Harm U.S. Economy

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release

U.S. dairy organizations and the state departments of agriculture across the country told President-elect Donald Trump that Canada’s existing and soon-to-be-expanded protectionist policies are intentionally designed to block imports from the United States.

Concern Over Proposed Changes in WIC Feeding Program

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release

National Academy of Sciences Suggests Major Reduction in Servings of Nutrient-Rich Milk Offered in WIC Program From Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF, and Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of IDFA: “The NAS Committee’s recommendations would undermine the nutritional value of the WIC program to needy Americans. It is contradictory that the NAS report would both acknowledge that many …