Contact:
Peggy Armstrong, 202-220-3508, parmstrong@idfa.org
Marti Pupillo, 202-220-3535, mpupillo@idfa.org
(Washington, D.C. – July 10, 2012) Several national food trade associations, including the National Restaurant Association, the Food Marketing Institute, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the National Chain Restaurant Association, the National Grocers Association and the National Frozen Pizza Institute, have joined a long, and growing, list of organizations that have voiced their opposition to a controversial new dairy program designed to periodically limit milk production that is included in the House Agriculture Committee chairman’s version of the Farm Bill.
The food processors, retailers and restaurateurs joined with consumer groups, state dairy associations and anti-tax groups to urge members of the House Agriculture Committee to support a bipartisan amendment, offered by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and David Scott (D-GA) (pictured below), that would remove the program.
“We respectfully ask you to support the bipartisan Goodlatte/D. Scott amendment that will establish support for dairy farmers without mandating that they participate in a new government dairy 'supply management' program,” the joint letter said. “We have learned from past experience that government management of commodity supply and demand does not work. Restricting milk supplies will hinder growth in dairy markets and increase dairy product costs, leading to negative long-term consequences for dairy farms, processors, retailers, restaurants, consumers and taxpayers.”
The International Dairy Foods Association and several producer groups, including the nation’s second-largest dairy cooperative, have been leading an effort to remove the Dairy Market Stabilization Program, also known as supply management, from the Dairy Security Act because it will raise consumer prices, hurt exports, cost thousands of new jobs and stifle investments in new facilities. The Goodlatte/D. Scott amendment retains nearly 80 percent of what is proposed by the Dairy Security Act, including a new revenue insurance program for dairy producers.
Other signers of the letter include Americans for Tax Reform, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, National Taxpayers Union, Consumer Federation of America, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, Dairy Institute of California, National Taxpayers’ Union and Northeast Dairy Foods Association, Inc.
The full letter can be read here.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.