The U.S. dairy industry today applauded a commitment to stronger protections for common food names resulting from just-concluded trade talks with China.

The favorable outcome of the U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade meetings should facilitate export of products like feta and parmesan cheese to China, which is a particularly large and fast-growing market for U.S. dairy products.

“We are extremely pleased that the United States and China have agreed to strong protections for products using these well-established cheese names as we seek to expand exports to this key market,” said Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

“We especially appreciate U.S. negotiators’ recognition of the importance of common name preservation to U.S. exports and the heightened focus that the Obama administration has given to a key dairy industry priority,” added Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.

“The outcome of the JCCT meetings is a great example of the progress that can result from frank and productive collaboration between two trading partners,” said Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association.

The issue of common food names and their relationship to geographical indications (GIs) has generated considerable discussion this year due to European Union efforts to impose bans on the use of feta, parmesan, asiago, muenster and other common cheese names in international trade unless the products are manufactured in Europe.

The EU is using talks like those under way for a Trans-Atlantic free trade agreement to impose these bans. In addition, it is seeking GI-specific agreements with individual countries, including China. The U.S. dairy industry has strongly opposed EU efforts to impose these trade barriers as a way to limit global competition.

The JCCT result lays out common principles for how geographical indications should be handled, as well as a commitment to future dialogue on GIs between the two countries. The JCCT is a forum for addressing trade issues between the United States and China. The three days of JCCT meetings ended yesterday in Chicago.

For more information, read “U.S. Fact Sheet: 25th U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade.”

The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, Va., develops and carries out policies that advance the well-being of U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S, milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.

The U.S. Dairy Export Council 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. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record. www.usdec.org

The International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $125-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation, the National Cheese Institute and the International Ice Cream Association. IDFA’s nearly 200 dairy processing members run nearly 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese, ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found at www.idfa.org.

ARLINGTON, VA – The National Milk Producers Federation today thanked Congress for passing and sending to the White House legislation extending the ability of farmers and small businesses to write off capital purchases immediately instead of over time by use.

The so-called “tax extenders” bill reinstates Section 179 tax credits for 2014 only. NMPF had strongly supported including the provision in legislation extending more than 50 expired tax breaks for one year. The bill passed the Senate Tuesday evening, and is expected to be signed by President Obama. It passed the House earlier this month.

“Dairy farming requires significant investments in machinery and equipment,” said NMPF President & CEO Jim Mulhern. “By allowing producers to immediately write off these purchases, extending Section 179 gives producers a year-end incentive to invest in their businesses while it reduced their record-keeping burden.”

The maximum amount of annual expensing under the extension is $500,000, as it was in 2013. A 50 percent bonus depreciation for the purchase of new capital assets, including farm equipment, is included.

Mulhern thanked Congress for acting on Section 179 and sending it to the White House before the end of the year. “Failure to restore Section 179 would have added to the financial strains on family farmers who already find it difficult to pass on their farms to the next generation,” he said.

In November, NMPF joined 41 other agricultural organizations in urging Congress to include Section 179 in any tax bill considered in its post-election session.

The National Milk Producers Federation, 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 more than 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.

The National Milk Producers Federation said today a new food safety study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presents a powerful argument against efforts to ease restrictions on the sale of raw milk to consumers.

According to the study, which will appear in the January 2015 issue of the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, the average number of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with drinking unpasteurized milk has more than quadrupled in recent years, as states approved more laws allowing retail sale of raw milk.From 2007 to 2012, the study reported 81 raw milk-associated foodborne illness outbreaks nationwide, or an average of 13 per year. The outbreaks, which sickened nearly 1,000 people and sent 73 to the hospital, were concentrated in states where raw milk sales are legal.

By contrast, an earlier study, covering 1993 to 2006, found an average of only three foodborne illness outbreaks per year associated with raw milk consumption.

“The more raw milk that is available to people, the more people become sick; the connection is crystal clear,” said Beth Briczinski, NMPF’s vice president for dairy foods and nutrition. “Since 2004, eight more states have allowed raw milk sales, and food-borne illnesses associated with raw milk consumption have increased.”

“In the face of these findings,” Briczinski added, “state and federal regulators and legislators must resist pressure from those seeking to make raw milk more accessible. Caving in to their demands will translate into more illnesses, more hospital visits, more state resources spent investigating outbreaks, and more lives harmed from consuming raw milk.”

Raw milk is not subject to the pasteurization process, which kills pathogens that can cause illness and death. Among the pathogens found in raw milk are Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter. Sales of raw milk are not permitted in interstate commerce, and both the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration recommend against consuming unpasteurized milk.

But retail sales of raw milk are now legal in 30 states, while 10 more states allow consumers to obtain raw milk by paying a farmer to help care for a cow in return for a percentage of the milk the cow produces. In addition, legislation was introduced in Congress this year to lift the ban on raw milk sales in interstate commerce.

NMPF has led the dairy industry in vigorously opposing efforts to make raw milk more accessible to consumers, either through changes in laws or regulations.  NMPF noted that the new CDC report provides credible evidence of the real-world consequences of ignoring a century’s worth of public health progress.

“Consuming raw milk is like playing Russian roulette with your health,” said Briczinski. “It is especially dangerous for children and seniors. The last thing any state or the federal government should do is encourage consumers to consume raw dairy products by legalizing their sale.”

The food poisoning outbreaks found in the latest study from the CDC accounted for about five percent of all foodborne illness outbreaks from a known source from 2007 to 2012. More than 80 percent of the outbreaks occurred in states where selling raw milk is legal. The most common pathogen involved was Campylobacter. The study is available on the CDC website now.

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 more than 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.

Emily Metz Meredith, vice president for animal care at the National Milk Producers Federation, was honored today as a Rising PR Star by a leading newsletter for communications professionals.

Meredith, who until recently was vice president of communications and membership for the Animal Agriculture Alliance, was recognized in the 30 and under category at PR News’ annual PR People Awards lunch, held Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington. Meredith, shown at right, was one of 32 cited in the Rising Star category. PR News said all the honorees “took chances and made tremendous strides in their communications efforts.” 

Meredith, shown at right, was nominated for the award by the Animal Agriculture Alliance, where she increased mentions of the organization in the media 75 percent in one year and 365 percent in another. In two years with the Alliance, she was interviewed by organizations ranging from Al Jazeera to The Washington Post and appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 

Alliance President and CEO Kay Johnson Smith praised Meredith’s vision, passion and commitment to excellence in her work. “Emily’s approach to everything is strategic, proactive and bold,” Smith said. “That’s why in two years she became the de facto issues management coordinator for the entire animal protein industry.” The Animal Agriculture Alliance is a coalition of producer organizations and individuals that communicates the importance of livestock agriculture to the public. 

At the National Milk Producers Federation, Meredith oversees an animal care program known as Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM). While she has only been with the organization a short time, NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern said she has already put her considerable advocacy skills to work on behalf of dairy farmers. 

“With a strong livestock agriculture background, Emily is taking the FARM program forward,” Mulhern said. “She’s increasing support for the program among producers while she educates processors, retailers, media and others about dairy farmers’ commitment to high-quality animal care.” NMPF is the voice of more than 32,000 dairy farmers in Washington. 

Meredith is a Wisconsin native with a degree in mass communications and international affairs from The George Washington University. She also has a law degree from Seton Hall University. Before joining the Animal Agriculture Alliance, Meredith was a litigation assistance in the New York Attorney General’s office and served as a speech writer at the Department of Agriculture. 

In addition to the PR News “Rising Star” award, Meredith was recently named one of “40 under 40 in Agriculture” by Vance Publishing Co., publisher of Dairy Herd Management and other agri-business publications. 

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The Animal Agriculture Alliance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is a broad-based coalition of individual farmers and ranchers, producer organizations, veterinarians, scientists, suppliers, packer-processors, private industry and retailers. The Alliance’s mission is to communicate the important role of animal agriculture to our nation’s economy, productivity, vitality, security and that animal well-being is central to producing safe, high-quality, affordable food and other products essential to our daily lives. Find the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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 more than 32,000 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 industry advised top U.S. government agricultural trade negotiators that their efforts on any final Pacific Rim free trade agreement must put access to foreign markets for U.S. dairy farmers and processors first, and avoid pressure from other countries to regionalize all new market access opportunities in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) made the point in letters sent today to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

As TPP negotiations head into their final stage, the dairy organizations expressed concern that industries in competing countries are counting on the United States to deliver export gains for all, rather than relying on their own governments to secure concessions in the trade agreement. “It is crucial,” USDEC President Tom Suber said, “for the U.S. to prioritize delivery of benefits to our dairy industry, not other TPP countries.” 

As a case in point, the three groups cited the recently concluded Japan-Australia FTA, which does little to open agricultural markets and instead aims to put the burden on U.S. negotiators to win agricultural concessions for all in the TPP. 

“The Japan-Australia FTA is an excellent example of the negative impact such a dynamic can have on U.S. interests,” NMFP President and CEO Mulhern said. “Our competitors in other TPP countries must work with their own governments to secure market access rather than insisting that any gains secured by the U.S. in challenging areas such as agriculture be made broadly available to all.”

The dairy organizations applauded U.S. efforts to gain market access through TPP for U.S. dairy products in countries including Japan and Canada. They stressed that no tariff line should be left untouched in this agreement.

“We believe the negotiators will continue to push forward and leave no stone unturned in their negotiations with Japan and Canada,” said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO. 

The joint letter was sent in advance of a key meeting of the chief TPP negotiators in Washington next week. 

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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 U.S. dairy producers and the cooperatives they collectively own. The members of NMPF’s cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S, milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 32,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more on NMPF’s activities, visit 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. The U.S. Dairy Export Council prohibits discrimination on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political beliefs, marital status, military status, and arrest or conviction record. 

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $125 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 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found at www.idfa.org. 

Farmers have two more weeks to sign up for the revamped dairy safety net included in the 2014 farm bill. The Agriculture Department extended the enrollment deadline for the Margin Protection Program a second time on December 4. The new deadline is Friday, December 19.

NMPF, which had pushed for the extension, thanked the Agriculture Department for giving farmers more time. “With a busy harvest season and the favorable milk prices of recent months, many dairy farmers are just now taking the time to review their options and explore the need for the new program,” President and CEO Jim Mulhern said.

Mulhern said there are several good reasons for farmers to sign up for MPP now. “First,” he said, “the strong milk prices of 2014 are giving way to lower prices, which should prompt many to consider what type of risk management they need if prices drop further, or if feed costs soar.”

Mulhern cited the recent oil price crash as an example of how sudden changes can catch many by surprise. “No one expected oil prices would drop by 40 percent in just a few months,” he said, “but sudden movements up or down are frequent in commodity markets.”

In addition, Mulhern said, with U.S. milk production expected to increase by more than one percent this year, signing up for MPP boosts an individual farm’s production history going forward by the same amount as the national increase.

“MPP payments are based on past production, and that production history increases only with the rise in national milk production,” Mulhern said. “As a result, those who sign up now for 2015 coverage will benefit from this year’s increase in milk production, thus allowing them to insure a larger base in the future.”

NMPF has a variety of tools on its website and on a separate website devoted exclusively to the new program to help producers make their decisions. Included is a downloadable calculator on which producers can plug in their own numbers and get a sense of the program’s impact on their farm. Farmers who have already enrolled have the opportunity to change their coverage levels until December 19th.

“The most important New Year’s resolution a dairy farmer can make for 2015 is using the new Margin Protection Program to guard against low margin conditions at some point in the next year,” Mulhern said.

In early December, the House passed and sent to the Senate a one-year extension of more than 50 expired tax breaks, including an important one for farmers that NMPF strongly supported. The Senate is expected to pass the so-called “tax extenders” bill before adjourning for the holidays, but it is uncertain whether it will be identical to the House bill.

The House bill, which passed 378 to 46, allows small businesses, including farms, to write off capital purchases such as equipment immediately, instead of over time.

In November, NMPF joined 41 other agricultural organizations in urging Congress to include this provision, known as Section 179, in any tax bill considered in its post-election session. The farm groups asked that the maximum amount of annual expensing be restored to $500,000, as it was in 2013. In addition, they asked Congress to reinstate the 50 percent bonus depreciation for the purchase of new capital assets, including farm equipment.

“Farming requires significant investments in machinery and equipment,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “By allowing farmers to immediately write off these purchases, Section 179 gives producers an incentive to invest in their businesses while it reduced their record-keeping burden.”

A one-year restoration of Section 179 would reinstate the provision for 2014 only. If final tax legislation does not clear the Congress this month, the issue is likely to return in January.

In the wake of the Obama administration’s action last month to delay deportation for up to five million undocumented immigrants, NMPF joined other agriculture groups in re-emphasizing the need for comprehensive reform of the broken immigration system.

“The executive action announced by the White House will not solve the current or future needs of dairy farmers,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern in a statement. “We still need congressional action in 2105.”

Mulhern said NMPF’s focus going forward will remain on securing a permanent fix for the nation’s immigration laws. “Regardless of the executive order, we must continue pressing for a long-term, meaningful solution that provides permanent relief for current workers and future labor needs,” he said. “It is imperative that Congress address this issue in 2015 and resolve it, once and for all.”

President Obama’s mid-November order didn’t specifically address agriculture, but a small fraction of undocumented U.S. farm workers – estimates range from 250,000 to 450,000 – will still be eligible for work permits and deportation relief under the plan. Republicans in Congress are expected to counteract the White House action, although the precise mean to challenge the immigration action remains to be seen.

NMPF has held extensive consultations with key negotiators on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact in advance of a meeting set for Washington during the second week in December.  NMPF staff has been in constant communications with U.S. TPP negotiators, and traveled to China in November for discussions with U.S. negotiators and others involved in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

The Washington meeting next week is aimed at helping drive the TPP trade talks to a close. The dairy industry is seeking increased access for U.S. dairy products in Japan and Canada as a key outcome of the talks involving 12 Asian and Pacific countries.

In early December, NMPF staff also traveled to Brussels for meetings with European Union officials on the planned U.S.-EU trade agreement, and for talks with the Danish government about its plan to ban use of the term “Havarti” by non-Danish companies. Denmark is seeking a Geographical Indication that would limit Havarti to only cheese produced within its borders.

Havarti is widely produced in the United States and is also the subject of an international standard. NMPF says a GI for Havarti would create a troubling precedent that could affect use of other cheese names, including mozzarella and provolone.

NMPF has strongly opposed efforts to erode international cheese standards through its leadership in the Consortium for Common Food Names, an alliance of organizations seeking model worldwide geographical indication guidelines.

During the month of November, Cooperatives Working Together helped members export 7 million pound of cheese, 3 million pounds of butter and 18 million pounds of whole milk powder. That brought year-to-date totals for CWT-assisted sales to more than 99 million pounds of cheese, 54 million pounds of butter and 57 million pounds of whole milk powder. The sales to customers in 45 countries on six continents are the equivalent of 2.5 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis.

CWT is a voluntary, farmer-funded program that helps member cooperatives maintain and expand world markets for U.S. dairy products. At the NMPF annual meeting in October, President and CEO Jim Mulhern credited CWT with helping to keep U.S. dairy product prices high amid a steep decline in dairy prices worldwide. By moving U.S. dairy products into world markets, Mulhern said, the NMPF-developed program has helped keep domestic inventories low and strengthened milk prices across the board.

NMPF has proposed a series of changes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial Waters of the U.S. regulation, asking either that its recommendations be included in the current draft, or that EPA withdraw and rewrite the rule.

In lengthy comments, NMPF stressed that, above all, agriculture needs certainty on which waterways fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act, and which do not. It asked EPA to clarify numerous terms in the regulation, including “other waters,” “upland ditches,” ‘‘floodplain,’’ ‘‘tributary,’’ and ‘‘significant nexus.”

In addition, NMPF urged that any final regulation exclude from federal jurisdiction intermittent streams and wetlands adjacent to excluded streams. NMPF also asked EPA to publish maps clearly indicating the features that make a waterway covered under the CWA.

“Clean water is essential to milk production and the dairy industry is very willing to work with EPA to protect U.S. waters,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “But EPA’s draft would only lead to more confusion and uncertainty around which waterways fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.”

NMPF submitted 23 pages of comments on the regulation, along with additional comments on EPA guidance for when farmers must seek CWA permits for a long list of normal farming activities near wetlands.

Issued in March, the draft WOTUS regulation expanded the waterways covered under the Clean Water Act to nearly all those connected to U.S. navigable waters. EPA received more than half a million comments on the rule.

The 2014 edition of Dairy Data Highlights, NMPF’s guidebook of national and state milk and dairy production statistics from the 1970s through recent years, is now available.

The pocket-sized booklet is available to NMPF members and associate members for $7.50 each, or $5 for orders of more than 10. For nonmembers, the cost is $10 for single copies or $7.50 for bulk orders. Use the order form on the NMPF website.

All aspects of milk and dairy products production are covered, as well as producer, wholesale and retail milk and dairy product prices; federal milk marketing orders; sales and consumption data for milk and dairy products, and comparative information for U.S. dairy imports and exports.

New this year is a table showing historical monthly income-over-feed cost margins, as defined by the 2014 farm bill for the new Margin Protection Program. The table goes back to January 2000.