In October of 2015, to help kick off its 100th year of service to dairy farmers, the National Milk Producers Federation released a special edition booklet that chronicled its many achievements and obstacles over the last century. The booklet constains 68 pages of history, from the fight against oleomargarine in the early 20th century, to the environmental issues so prevalent today. It also features dozens of historic photos, some never before seen. Most notably, the booklet also includes a look at the new NMPF logo, featuring a refreshed Capitol dome, to be rolled out in 2016.

Thank you to Art Jaeger of Art Jaeger Editorial Services and CSG Creative for their help in creating this booklet.

If you’re interested in ordering a physical copy, please email info@nmpf.org.

Every Thursday, Chris Galen, NMPF’s Senior Vice President of Communications, or another NMPF insider, gives a weekly interview with Bill Baker of DairyLine Radio. Aside from giving listeners the opportunity to learn about NMPF’s latest activities on Capitol Hill, the interviews also provide insight into the most recent news and trends in the dairy industry.

Click here to listen to the weekly interview.

National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program staff spent most of November taking every available opportunity to share stories of the U.S. dairy industry’s work in sustainability.

In November, FARM Program staff participated in the Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Denver. The annual event brings together major food companies, government agencies, academics, conservation groups and farmers to share lessons and develop a coordinated approach to agricultural sustainability. Co-hosted by the Innovation Center for U.S Dairy and Field to Market, the event convened partners from pork, beef, poultry, egg and specialty crop industry associations.

Event speakers highlighted the key role the FARM Program plays in demonstrating dairy’s on-farm sustainability efforts. Angela Anderson, director of customer outreach for the FARM Program, moderated a panel discussion that introduced the program’s newest area, Workforce Development. Nicole Ayache, FARM’s director of sustainability initiatives, highlighted the importance of this new program area in giving dairy farm owners and managers necessary tools to attract and retain a high-quality workforce.

Prior to the summit, FARM Program staff participated in the Dairy Sustainability Alliance fall meeting, hosted by Quail Ridge Dairy, winner of the 2018 Beef Quality Assurance Award in the dairy category. Attendees toured the farm and learned about sustainability at five themed stations. The Animal Care station was co-hosted by Emily Yeiser Stepp, FARM Program senior director, and Jamie Jonker, vice president of sustainability and scientific affairs.

ARLINGTON, VA – The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) commended the Trump Administration today for signing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which had been agreed to in principle on Sept. 30.

The USMCA will benefit America’s dairy sector by maintaining the overall U.S.-Mexico trading structure of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), while incorporating new commitments to strengthen U.S. dairy export prospects throughout the North American region. Thanks to NAFTA, Mexico is currently the largest export destination for U.S. dairy products, accounting for $1.2 billion in sales last year. The United States commands a dominant market share in Mexico, with sales that amount to three quarters of its imported dairy products.

Although the U.S. dairy industry had sought deeper market expansion and stronger disciplines from Canada on dairy, NMPF and USDEC praised U.S. negotiators for their ardent efforts to address Canada’s pervasive trade-distorting practices. The trade deal includes reforms to Canada’s controversial dairy pricing system and some additional market access – key objectives of the U.S. dairy sector.

In addition to Canada-specific dairy provisions, the USCMA broke new ground by establishing a strong sanitary and phytosanitary chapter, as well as numerous provisions aimed at tackling the misuse of geographical indications that erect barriers to U.S. exports of products that rely on common food names.

Industry leaders said the ultimate impact of the agreement, which must be approved by Congress, will depend on how it’s implemented by the three countries. The U.S. dairy industry will engage with both parties in Congress to seek their support for the agreement’s passage while at the same time seeking assurances that Canada will comply with their commitments in a fair and transparent manner.

“The signing of the USMCA gives America’s dairy industry greater confidence as we head into 2019,” said Tom Vilsack, president and CEO of USDEC. “We trust that the administration will aggressively enforce both the letter and the spirit of the agreed upon text. Thus, it is imperative that the United States ensures that Canada implements its commitments in a manner consistent with the hard-fought transparency and market-reforming disciplines secured in this agreement.”

The dairy organizations urged the governments of the three nations to take the next step toward better trade relations by removing currently imposed tariffs on agricultural exports – as well as steel and aluminum – that have been sticking points in relations between the countries.

“We appreciate the Trump Administration for continually raising our issues of concern and fighting for a better agreement with Canada,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “This year has been a challenging one for dairy producers, who are dealing with continuing low prices and the damaging effects of retaliatory tariffs that have already cost them about $1.5 billion. With today’s signing, we encourage the administration to take a fresh look at other tariffs that are hampering North American trade, including the steel and aluminum tariffs still imposed on Mexico, and to continue making progress in striking new free trade agreements and resolving ongoing trade conflicts.”

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is a non-profit, independent membership organization that represents the global trade interests of U.S. dairy producers, proprietary processors and cooperatives, ingredient suppliers and export traders. Its mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and assist the U.S. industry to increase its global dairy ingredient sales and exports of U.S. dairy products. USDEC accomplishes this through programs in market development that build global demand for U.S. dairy products, resolve market access barriers and advance industry trade policy goals. USDEC is supported by staff across the United States and overseas in Mexico, South America, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

(Washington, D.C. – November 28, 2018) The International Dairy Foods Association, the National Milk Producers Federation and the U.S. Dairy Export Council joined their global counterparts in issuing the following statement. The dairy groups urged the G20 ministers meeting this week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to prioritize maintaining, reforming and reinvigorating the World Trade Organization (WTO), which is the multilateral rules-based trading system.

The dairy groups called on the ministers to reject trade distorting actions, such as imposing unscientific, overly burdensome or trade-distorting nontariff regulations; unilaterally raising tariffs in ways that are not WTO-compliant; or providing WTO illegal export subsidies. They said these actions undermine the functioning of value chains and lead to trade diversion, more volatile commodity prices and a less efficient allocation of resources with higher costs. 

Joint media statement

Dairy Associations representing the majority of global trade in dairy products are calling on G20 Ministers to prioritise maintaining, reforming and reinvigorating the multilateral rules-based trading system.

We have come together as representatives of the dairy industries in Argentina (Centro de la Industria Lechera); Australia (Australian Dairy Industry Council); the European Union (European Dairy Association and Eucolait); New Zealand (Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand); the United States (International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation and U.S. Dairy Export Council) and Uruguay (Camara de la Industria Lactea del Uruguay) because of the collective importance we place on there being a rules-based multilateral system which is respected and adhered to.

We strongly agree with the G20 Trade Ministers statement of September 2018, that international trade is an important engine of growth, productivity, innovation, job creation and development.  The multilateral trading system has supported trade and contributed to unprecedented improvement in standards of living around the globe over the last 60 years. Since Agriculture was brought under the WTO framework, by the 1995 Uruguay Round agreement, dairy trade has nearly doubled, as regional and global food chains have expanded to provide high quality dairy products to an increasing number of consumers at affordable prices.

We also agree with G20 Trade Ministers that Agro-Food Global Value Chains are one of the most important means to achieve a sustainable food future.  It is therefore important that all WTO members respect their WTO commitments and work collectively to strengthen and advance the WTO frameworks.

Our organisations collectively call on G20 leaders to reject trade distorting actions, such as imposing unscientific, overly burdensome or trade-distorting nontariff regulations; unilaterally raising tariffs in ways that are not WTO-compliant; or providing WTO illegal export subsidies. These actions undermine the functioning of value chains, lead to trade diversion, more volatile commodity prices and lead to a less efficient allocation of resources with higher costs.

We urge G20 members to intensify efforts to establish a roadmap for the WTO that cements its important role into the future.

We recognise that the WTO needs to continue to adapt to changing global economic and trading circumstances to address current concerns, maintain its relevance and lay the basis for future, sustainable growth in trade, including for dairy.  We consider the changes needed include:

• reform of the dispute settlement system;
• improving transparency and timeliness of subsidy notifications;
• clarifying the procedures for administering tariff quotas to markedly improve fill rates; and
•  additional improvements to address trade-distorting practices.

The multilateral trading system is too important to our sectors, and to achieving a sustainable food future, to be left to one side.  We call upon G20 leaders to put their collective leadership behind evolving and strengthening the WTO multilateral trading structure and architecture, including its dispute settlement system.

 

Miguel Paulón                                                             Terry Richardson

Presidente                                                                   Chair

Centro de la Industria Lechera (CIL – Argentina)        Australian Dairy Industry Council (ADIC)

 

Alexander Anton                                                          Jukka Likitalo

Secretary General                                                       Secretary General

European Dairy Association (EDA)                             European Association of Dairy Trade (Eucolait)

 

Malcolm Bailey                                                                   Michael Dykes, D.V.M.

Chairman                                                                           President and CEO

Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA)

 

Ruben Nunez                                                                     Jim Mulhern

Presidente                                                                          President & CEO

Camara de la Industria Lactea del Uruguay (CILU)           National Milk Producers Federation

 

Matt McKnight

Chief Operating Officer

U.S. Dairy Export Council

 

For media inquiries please contact:

Organization	Contact Person
Australian Dairy Industry Council	Peter Myers Peter.Myers@dairyaustralia.com.au +61 3 9694 3817
Camara De La Industria Lactea Del Uruguay	Ruben Nunez rnunez@Conaprole.com.uy
Centro De La Industrial Lechera (Argentina)	Osvaldo Cappellini OCAPPELLINI@mastellone.com.ar +54 237 485-9000
Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ)	Kimberly Crewther Kimberly.crewther@dcanz.com +64 27 838 6356
European Dairy Association (EDA)	Alexander Anton AANTON@euromilk.org
European Association of Dairy Trade (Eucolait)	Jukka Likitalo jukka.likitalo@eucolait.eu +3222374372
International Dairy Foods Association	Marti Hogan mhogan@idfa.org +1-202-220-3535
National Milk Producers Federation	Alan Bjerga abjerga@nmpf.org +1-202-469-2372
US Dairy Export Council	Luke Waring lwaring@usdec.org +1 703-528-3049

 

ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) thanked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its announcement today that it will extend by 60 days, until Jan. 25, the public comment period during which the agency is seeking information on the proper names for plant-based beverages. The original deadline was Nov. 27.

“It is crucial that all interested parties have adequate time to more fully address FDA’s extensive list of questions about the labeling issue, and why it matters from a nutrition and public health standpoint,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, which has long urged FDA to enforce existing rules on what should and shouldn’t properly be called “milk.” “This extension will allow the dairy community, as well as health professionals, to fully explain why consumers deserve accurate and honest information about their food options.”

A survey conducted by the research firm IPSOS, commissioned by Dairy Management Inc., found that misperceptions were common regarding the nutritional value of true milk versus imitators that are industrially produced by mixing water with small amounts of a plant-based product – along with various whiteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers and other chemical ingredients. For example:

• 73 percent of consumers believed that almond-based drinks had as much or more protein per serving than milk, even though milk has eight times as much protein.
• 53 percent said they believed that plant-based food manufacturers labeled their products “milk” because their nutritional value is similar, which is incorrect.

Even research funded by plant-drink processors shows confusion. According to a study from the International Food Information Council Foundation, one-quarter of consumers of coconut, soy and almond beverages either thought that or weren’t sure whether those drinks contained milk.

NMPF has prepared a brief video presentation that explains how to submit comments to FDA.

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit our website at www.nmpf.org.