Tag: regulations
Nevada Variant shows H5N1 testing at work
By Dr. Jamie Jonker, Chief Science Officer, National Milk Producers Federation
Highly pathogenic avian influenza. H5N1. Bird flu. Regardless of what you may call it, this virus has posed significant challenges to dairy farmers over the past year.
Since the first confirmed case of the H5N1 virus in dairy cattle in Texas last March 25, as of February 7, there have been 959 confirmed dairy herds across 16 states. On February 5, USDA announced a new variant of H5N1 in a herd in Nevada. That made one thing even clearer than before: As the virus evolves, so too must we.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has worked closely with federal and state partners, along with industry partners, to share updates and guidance. National Dairy FARM Biosecurity Program resources have provided farms with biosecurity plan templates and educational materials on the best management practices to prevent disease introduction and spread. NMPF also secured grant funding from the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program to expand the FARM Biosecurity Program and help even more producers and state officials to be prepared in an infectious disease outbreak.
NMPF also participates in weekly and daily stand-up calls with various working groups to help shape policies from the Food and Drug Administration and USDA regarding H5N1 in dairy cattle and dairy products. In December, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced its National Milk Testing Strategy, a surveillance effort aimed at better tracking herd status in states across the country. Testing under the National Milk Testing Strategy began in six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. More states joined in the month following the strategy’s launch, increasing the total to 40 states.
The National Milk Testing Strategy is what led the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories toward confirming the new variant in Nevada. This genotype, D1.1, is different from genotype B3.13, which had been found in dairy cows until now. USDA APHIS and the Nevada Department of Agriculture are conducting additional on-farm investigation and testing and gathering more epidemiological information to better understand the effects of the new genotype and to limit further disease spread.
Much about the H5N1 virus remains unknown — how it spreads, how it evolves, how it affects cows long-term, and what it all means for humans. While a new variant is concerning, its detection shows that the systems in place for testing and identifying the virus in dairy cows are working as intended. Continued dedication to information sharing among the scientific community, state and federal officials, and everyone in the dairy supply chain is the only way forward.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Feb. 13, 2025.
NMPF’s Bleiberg Assesses Agenda for Congressional Lame Duck Session
NMPF’s chief lobbyist Paul Bleiberg explains for listeners of Dairy Radio Now what Congress will focus on during the first few weeks of December in the congressional lame duck session that is following last month’s election. Members of the House and Senate will have to address government spending for 2025, but are not expected to pass a new farm bill in 2024, instead preferring to extend current policy and work on a new version next year.
A Century of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance
By Miquela Hanselman, Director of Regulatory Affairs, National Milk Producers Federation
For several years, raw milk advocacy has been trickling into the mainstream. From fringe blog sites to state legislatures, proponents tout alleged health benefits and downplay the risk. Even as highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) in dairy cattle this year has shown the importance of pasteurizing milk for consumer safety and confidence, it has ironically drawn more attention to raw milk, which is seeing rising consumption. And with a raw milk advocate nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the issue is receiving new attention.
National dairy groups are united: Raw milk consumption poses serious potential health risks, and milk for public consumption should be pasteurized. But milk safety is a never-ending discussion, and it’s against that backdrop that a bedrock of consumer safety and industry cooperation, the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), turns 100 years old this year.
The PMO, along with the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS), is a cornerstone of the United States producing the safest, most nutritious dairy products in the world. The PMO was a game changer in reducing the risk of foodborne illness associated with dairy products, providing a model milk regulation program with uniform safety requirements that states could voluntarily adopt.
Alabama was the first state to adopt the milk ordinance in 1924, and support for the ordinance spread across the country. Today, the PMO is updated every other year through the NCIMS, which will be held next April in Minneapolis, Minn.
The biennial NCIMS event is a model for collaboration, bringing together federal public health officials, the Food and Drug Administration, state officials, and the dairy industry. It focuses on a more effective and efficient system of regulating the interstate shipment of milk products. One key issue sure to come up will be the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle. Proposals for any issue or topic area to be considered at the conference are due in mid-January.
The National Milk Producers Federation and its members remain committed to keeping milk safe and accessible to Americans, even as food safety discussions evolve. Feel free to reach out to info@nmpf.org with any questions. And when the discussion moves to Minneapolis this spring for NCIMS, we will be prepared.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Nov. 28, 2024.
U.S. defends dairy in Colombia
By Jaime Castaneda, Executive Vice President, National Milk Producers Federation
NMPF and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) are working to preserve market access for American dairy exports to Colombia following the Colombian government’s abrupt July 5 decision to initiate a politically driven “subsidies and countervailing measures” investigation into milk powder imports form the United States.
The move has little to do with U.S. milk and everything to do with Colombia’s domestic politics. In an effort to reverse slipping popularity with voters, the Colombian government has decided to misuse trade tools usually reserved for private industry to counter legitimate damage from “dumped” product sold at below market rates. In contrast to this, Colombia’s government has instead launched this case on its own, alleging that U.S. milk powder exports from 2020 to 2023 were unduly subsidized by U.S. government programs and damaged Colombian dairy producers. Unfortunately, due to the investigation’s political nature, the Colombian government could impose tariffs on imported U.S. milk powder products as early as September 16. That would be certain to stifle trade to the market.
NMPF and USDEC have been working with U.S. exporting cooperatives and companies, legal teams, and the U.S. government to submit a strong, data-driven defense proving that this investigation is without merit.
In their counterarguments, NMPF and USDEC note that the investigation is baseless for many reasons, including:
- Product comparison: Imported U.S. milk powder and domestically produced Colombian fluid milk are distinct products with different physical characteristics and end uses, making them non-comparable.
- Subsidy misinterpretation: The Colombian government incorrectly assumes that U.S. dairy producer support directly benefits milk powder manufacturers, which is not the case.
- Lack of causal link: U.S. milk powder imports haven’t caused any damage to the Colombian dairy industry. Evidence simply doesn’t exist.
Because of the political nature of this investigation, a fair result is not guaranteed, which means that U.S. government intervention may be necessary. NMPF and USDEC are urging U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to use all available tools to respond forcefully should Colombia impose tariffs on U.S. milk powder imports despite the lack of evidence meriting such a result.
Congress is also paying attention. A letter sent by the bipartisan leads of the U.S. House of Representative’s Agricultural Trade Caucus to the Colombian Ambassador to the United States highlights the U.S. dairy industry’s long-standing commitment to work with its Colombian counterparts and encouraged the two industries to work together to strengthen the dairy sectors in both countries instead of pursuing meritless investigations.
Colombia’s investigation will play out over months, starting with preliminary results and potential provisional measures as early as September 16, followed by a public hearing and additional comment periods.
At stake is $70 million in annual U.S. milk powder exports to Colombia.
While not a trivial amount by any means, this investigation could also set a dangerous precedent for like-minded governments to imitate. Over the past several years, protectionist sentiments have grown around the world, and Latin America is no exception. The region has become a battleground in the effort to preserve existing trade opportunities, flaring up from Peru and Ecuador to Brazil and Mexico.
While cooperating with the investigation, NMPF and USDEC continue to engage with policymakers and allied organizations to seek a positive conclusion. Regardless of which way this investigation turns out, it’s important for the United States to respond forcefully and let its trading partners know that such maneuvers will not be tolerated.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Sept. 5, 2024.
NMPF’s Bjerga on Milk’s Value for Everyone
NMPF Executive Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discusses the plethora of low- and no-lactose dairy products available to meet America’s nutritional needs in an interview with Dairy Radio Now. With societal concerns about equitable nutrition access informing conversations over the upcoming Dietary Guidelines, dairy needs to make it clear that it’s a nutrition solution for all, Bjerga says.
Regulatory Register – Summer 2024
Work Continues to Strengthen Supply Chains
By Tony Rice, Director, Trade Policy, National Milk Producers Federation
America’s dairy producers rely on a global supply chain that is reliable, transparent, and predictable to thrive in the competitive global dairy market — a reality made apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when supply chain snarls created headaches for dairy and the entire global economy.
But while many pandemic-era export issues have eased, an emerging threat to secure, reliable U.S. rail shipping is worsening.
Organized crime groups are increasingly breaking into shipping containers headed from the Midwest to West Coast ports in search of high-value consumer products. That’s creating serious food safety issues and forcing exporters to return the cargo at a financial loss, with limited recourse for insurance claims.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), in collaboration with the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC), is tackling the issue on two fronts. Exporters experiencing break-ins are being connected with relevant railroads to determine best practices to mitigate theft, including lock and tracking recommendations. Meanwhile, NMPF is engaged with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Surface Transportation Board, Homeland Security Investigations, and rail police forces to identify options to heighten policing efforts and best practices for reporting break-ins. NMPF and USDEC are also pursuing new appropriations funding for a Homeland Security task force dedicated to addressing supply chain theft, with language specific to agricultural cargo.
Encouragingly, the Biden Administration is implementing new guardrails to prevent dairy exporters from having to deal with the sorts of record costs, unprecedented fees, and unpredictable shipping schedules that occurred during the pandemic.
That work started two years ago when NMPF fought hard to help shape and pass into law the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, which mitigated unfair and harmful carrier practices. The law’s far-reaching nature has resulted in a lengthy and deliberative implementation process — one to which NMPF has dedicated almost two years of engagement to ensure the rules are fair for dairy exporters.
That work paid off when the Federal Maritime Commission’s final rule on detention and demurrage billing practices took effect May 28. The rule reflects official recommendations from NMPF and USDEC, including important clarity on who should be billed, the time frames for billing, and a streamlined dispute process.
In tandem with upcoming rulemaking from the maritime commission on what determines a carrier’s unreasonable refusal to deal or negotiate, these statutes will bring much-needed stability to what has been a difficult shipping market to navigate. These developments are especially timely given the potential disruptions that a full reopening of the Red Sea would have on sailing schedules, as well as ongoing East Coast port labor negotiations.
While there are many moving pieces in shipping legislation, NMPF is engaging with Congress on two critical new bills. The bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act would update supply chain data standards, and the Ocean Carrier Rail Storage Charges Act is a bill to clarify jurisdictional gaps between the Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Maritime Commission regarding fees oversight.
As dairy exporters navigate uncertain waters, NMPF and USDEC remain dedicated to supporting a resilient and secure supply chain. The work continues to ensure that U.S. dairy exporters continue to thrive in a dynamic global market.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on June 13, 2024.
NMPF’s Yeiser Stepp Talks Biosecurity Best Practices
Emily Yeiser Stepp, Executive Director of the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program, discusses best practices in biosecurity as dairy farmers navigating a new federal order on testing and interstate animal movement in an interview with the National Association of Farm Broadcasters. “We still don’t know a lot about this virus and are taking action to limit that risk of virus spread, not only to protect our own dairy herds but also those poultry facilities that are being impacted, as well as protecting our dairy workers,” Yeiser Stepp said.
NMPF’S Hanselman Explains New USDA School Meal Dairy Regulations
NMPF’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Miquela Hanselman, explains to Dairy Radio Now listeners the changes to the federal school lunch program meal requirements just announced by USDA. The new rules will maintain a place at the table for flavored milk, while also making modest adjustments to sodium levels that won’t negatively impact cheese offerings in school meals.
NMPF’s Paul Bleiberg Outlines USDA Decision On WIC Dairy Purchases
NMPF’s Executive Vice President Paul Bleiberg gives Dairy Radio Now the background on this week’s decision by USDA to adjust spending for WIC program recipients, and how that will impact dairy purchases, including milk, as the changes are implemented.
NMPF’s Bjerga on FMMO Hearing Progress
NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga discussed progress so far at USDA’s Federal Milk Marketing Order hearing, which began last month, in an interview with RFD-TV. Testimony thus far has focused on proper pricing for milk components, an area in which dairy farmers have made significant headway in the past quarter century.
