Over the next two years, the committee will review the issues of farm milk price volatility, dairy farmer profitability and consolidation, and offer suggestions on ways the US Department of Agriculture can best address the needs of a struggling dairy industry.
Representatives will include producers and producer organisations, processors and processor organisations, handlers, consumers, academia, retailers and state agencies involved in organic and non-organic dairy at local, regional, national and international levels.
“USDA has worked tirelessly to assist dairy farmers during these tough times,” said Vilsack. “We’ve increased support prices under the Dairy Product Price Support Programme, reactivated the Dairy Export Incentive Programme and bought 200 million pounds of non-fat dry milk for federal feeding programmes. This committee, whose members come from all aspects of the dairy industry, will work to find long-term solutions to assist this struggling industry.”
Producer members appointed to the committee are: Erick Coolidge, Timothy den Dulk, Debora Erb, James Goodman, James Krahn, Edward Maltby, Manuel Souza, Ed Welch and James Williams.
Representatives from the processing industry include Jay Bryant, Patricia Stroup, Sue Taylor and Robert Wills.
All members will serve two-year terms beginning in January 2010 and expiring 1 January 2012. The committee was expanded this year from 15 members to 17 and will hold its first meeting in early 2010. The meeting will be open to the public and USDA encourages public participation.
[For additional information, check the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee ]website.(http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/DairyAdvisoryCommittee)
Source: US Department of Agriculture
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024