WASHINGTON — Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, issued the following statement on the House Agriculture Committee vote on the bipartisan amendment to the Farm Bill offered by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. David Scott (D-GA) that would have stripped a supply management provision from the Dairy Security Act and offered the safety net of a margin insurance program with no strings attached.
"We applaud Mr. Goodlatte and Mr. Scott for their leadership on this issue, and thank the many members who voted in favor of the amendment. We also appreciate the broad support garnered for this amendment by a large coalition that now includes dairy producer groups, food trade and restaurant associations, consumer protection groups and taxpayer watchdog groups. Opposition to the Dairy Market Stabilization Program has been steadily growing as more people become aware of this controversial plan that will impose milk supply limits on the dairy industry and increase regulations on businesses.
"The amendment sponsors proposed a true compromise that includes everyone in the dairy industry and proves that Congress can provide an effective and fiscally responsible safety net for dairy farmers without also hurting consumers and having a negative impact on federal nutrition programs like SNAP and WIC that are important to many representatives.
"Today's close vote, with bipartisan support, proves that our chances are excellent of winning a vote on the House floor when the Farm Bill is brought for a vote. Speaker of the House John Boehner has already indicated his intention to speak out against supply management for dairy. We look forward to helping Congress pass forward-looking legislation that will provide a safety net for dairy farmers without limiting our industry's ability to grow, create jobs and help our nation's economy."
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. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.
Source: International Dairy Foods Association
