Cooperatives Working Together helped its member cooperatives in February get contracts to sell 5.3 million pounds of cheese and 4.4 million pounds of butter overseas. The contracted products, which represent the equivalent of 148.5 million pounds of milk on a milkfat basis, will go to customers in 10 countries on five continents.

Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives who have contracts to sell 9.7 million pounds of cheese and 18.8 million pounds of butter to 18 countries.

Developed by NMPF, CWT is a voluntary export assistance program supported by dairy farmers producing 70 percent of the nation’s milk. By moving U.S. dairy products into world markets, CWT helps keep domestic inventories and dairy farmer milk prices at reasonable levels.

NMPF Board Chairman Randy Mooney was named 2014 Director of the Year by the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He received the award at NCFC’s annual meeting in San Diego on February 12.

The award recognizes the achievements of farm cooperative directors who take the lead in making decisions vital to their cooperatives. Mooney, shown receiving the award from CoBank CEO Robert Engel, was credited with playing a key role in developing what became the Margin Protection Program after the catastrophic conditions the dairy industry experienced in 2009. The most significant rewrite of federal dairy policy in a generation, MPP was signed into law early last year as part of the 2014 farm bill.

Mooney, who is also chairman of Dairy Farmers of America, has operated Mooney Dairy in Rogersville, Missouri, with his wife since 1979. He became NMPF board chairman in 2008.

Graduate students researching dairy-related subjects have three weeks left to apply for NMPF’s National Dairy Leadership Scholarship Program. Each year, NMPF awards scholarships to Masters- or Ph.D.-level students conducting research of interest to NMPF member cooperatives and the dairy industry in general.

Recommended fields of study include dairy science, animal health, animal or human nutrition, bovine genetics and herd management. Applicants do not need to be affiliated with NMPF members.

Candidates have until March 27 to apply for scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year. Recipients will be selected by the NMPF board of directors in June and notified soon after afterward. Visit the NMPF website or call 703-243-6111 for details.

The fact that food has become one of the more polarizing aspects of our culture in recent years is hardly news. So it should come as no surprise that the development of government recommendations about which foods to consume is also becoming a hotly contested issue, within Washington, and in households around the country.

The good news for dairy is that the nutritional evidence favoring our products is so strong that it leaves little room for debate about what federal dietary guidelines should say about milk products. Dairy foods, especially milk, yogurt and cheese, remain the leading source of Vitamin D, calcium and potassium in America’s food supply – and these are three of the four nutrients (along with fiber) identified as most deficient in the American diet. In other words, increasing dairy consumption would help improve people’s diets. For some other foods and nutrients, though, preliminary federal food guidance is raising questions.

The government’s reassessment of dietary advice begins anew every five years, when a special panel of nutrition scientists is convened by the departments of Agriculture, and Health and Human Services, to consider the best evidence about food and public health, and how the first should contribute to the second. A year-long series of hearings just culminated in a report from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The report’s conclusions will affect the choices made in key federal feeding programs, including the school lunch and WIC programs. The findings will also be part of the major, ongoing federal nutrition education effort that has become even more critical in recent years because of the obesity epidemic affecting 155 million adults Americans, and far too many of our children. Before things even reach that point, however, there’s already a simmering controversy in three prominent areas.

First, the committee found that dietary cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern. This means that foods that are significant sources of cholesterol – eggs being the poster child – are no longer on the “bad” foods list. It’s hard to overstate what a sea change this represents in terms of how it alters what has been considered for decades by many health professionals to be the gospel truth about the role of cholesterol in cardiovascular health. The admonition against cholesterol in the diet dates back to the 1970s, when the government was first devising dietary advice. Give some credit to the DGAC for finally acknowledging that decades of misguided belief about the supposed dangers of dietary cholesterol were not supported by the science behind what really contributes to heart disease.

Second, the new report urges consumers to cut down on red meat consumption. This is a lightning-rod recommendation because it lumps all cuts of meat, and potentially most sources of livestock protein, in the same category. In fact, the panel excluded even lean meat from possible sources of healthy foods – because defining what is a “lean” source of meat is open to dispute. Beef and pork producers are concerned about how this finding will be translated in the final report from HHS and USDA. Just like dairy products, meat is an important source of key nutrients that are hard to package together effectively in a vegan diet, so this report is going to be very contentious because of this finding.

And if that weren’t enough cause for some indigestion, the third controversial recommendation relates to the area of sustainability. The DGAC said that Americans should consider the environmental impacts of the foods they eat, with the clear implication that some items on their plates – again, meat in particular – are less desirable because their production, not just their consumption, carries a heavier carbon footprint and has other alleged negative ramifications. This finding is a tough one to swallow because what constitutes “sustainable” is a hard thing to measure – and the committee cited no sound science upon which they based their recommendations. The claim that some foods aren’t as sustainable as others is less sound than the claims against cholesterol were almost 40 years ago. Meat, and indeed, all food groups, need to be assessed not just for their caloric or environmental impact, but for their overall nutrient profile.

The release of the DGAC report is the end of just the first phase of this process. There will be a public comment period until April, after which the federal agencies have to decide which recommendations to implement. Like most things in Washington these days, that process is sure to be a contentious one.

While the news is somewhat mixed, the positive developments bear repeating at the end. Because of the strong body of scientific evidence demonstrating dairy’s important contributions to health, the DGAC report continues to acknowledge the importance of dairy foods, especially non- and low-fat sources. Real dairy foods – not factory-concocted white liquids masquerading as milk – provide an incomparable source of nutrition. As food facts and fads rise and fall, these truths haven’t changed, and we will continue to remind policymakers of it.

ARLINGTON, VA – A new report released Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration underscores the safety of the nation’s milk supply, and demonstrates that the regulations to keep drug residues out of milk are effective in protecting the public health, the National Milk Producers Federation said today in reaction to the FDA survey.

The milk survey was released by the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, which sampled the raw milk from nearly 2,000 dairy farms in 2012, and conducted extensive laboratory testing on each milk sample for 31 different pharmaceutical compounds. It found that more than 99 percent of the samples were free of residues, “underscoring the safety of the milk supply,” according to the FDA.

“This report proves that America’s dairy farmers are delivering on our commitment to providing safe and wholesome milk to consumers, while working closely with state and federal regulators to continually improve the safety of our products,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “Dairy farmers have a strong track record of compliance with state and federal milk safety regulations, and we support education and enforcement efforts to further strengthen that record.”

The FDA’s objective in the 2012 survey was to determine if those dairy farms with previous drug residue violations in market-bound meat were also producing milk that contained residues. A small number of dairy farms have been cited by regulators over the years for being in violation of existing standards for antibiotic and other drug residues in animal carcasses at meat processing facilities.

The FDA survey involved the confidential collection of milk samples from 953 dairy farms with a previous tissue residue violation, and another 959 randomly selected samples.

The residue testing was conducted on raw milk from the farm, not on milk that had gone through the protocols in place further down the processing chain to keep antibiotics out of the milk supply. This was not an analysis of processed, retail-bound dairy products that reached consumers. The FDA conducts approximately 40,000 separate antibiotic residue tests of retail-ready dairy products annually, and has detected zero positives in the past four years.

The report found 15 confirmed positive samples out of 1,912 tested, or 0.7%. There was no statistically significant difference in the results when comparing the target farm group with the random samples. The FDA said the results “are encouraging and indicate that the current system of regulatory oversight results in high rates of industry compliance. The FDA remains confident in the overall safety of the U.S. milk supply.”

According to Mulhern, the findings “are a positive affirmation of our milk safety in the U.S., although we still need continued education among farmers, veterinarians, and pharmaceutical companies, and a need for continued outreach on how to prevent trace levels of residues in the future. This is a shared responsibility among all of us who are committed to continuing to provide people with a safe, healthy product.

“We want to continuously improve the demonstrably-effective processes already in place to keep antibiotics out of milk. These results are great, but we still are aiming for zero positives in the future.”

 

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.

 

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The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) today jointly urged Congress to enact new Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, saying it is crucial to securing well-negotiated trade agreements, including a Pacific Rim pact that must open key markets to more U.S. dairy products.

In a letter to Congress, NMPF and USDEC said renewing TPA, which expired in 2007, will increase congressional influence over trade negotiations and lead to agreements that are better for both the country and the dairy industry.

“By having a clear framework for participating in the process and identified priorities that a successful agreement must address, Congress increases its influence over these agreements as they are being written,” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern.

Added USDEC President Tom Suber: “TPA plays a key role in supporting a strong trade policy agenda. That is particularly important to the dairy industry, since it now exports the equivalent of one-seventh of its U.S. milk production.” Last year alone, Suber noted, the U.S. industry exported more than $7 billion in dairy products.

The dairy groups urged Congress to approve TPA, but also to become engaged in the final stages of negotiations with 11 other countries over the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“To achieve an agreement with net benefits to the U.S. dairy industry, access to the region’s most protected dairy markets – Japan and Canada – is imperative,” said Mulhern. “While some progress has been made in Japan, both of these countries need to open their markets to a full range of U.S. dairy products.”

Suber said another key issue is improving safeguards for using generic food names, including many common cheese names, in export markets. The European Union, he noted, is attempting to erect trade barriers by limiting the use of names like feta, parmesan and asiago among many others, to particular geographic areas.

 

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

Statement from Jim Mulhern, President & CEO, NMPF; and Connie Tipton, President & CEO, IDFA

“We appreciate the commitment of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) to help Americans build healthy eating patterns.

“The essential role of dairy foods, as part of dietary patterns that foster good health outcomes, is supported by the totality of the science — low-fat and fat-free milk and dairy products are a core component of the healthy dietary patterns identified by the Committee.

“The good news for people across the country is that milk, cheese, and yogurt not only taste great, but also are nutrient-rich, affordable, readily available, and versatile, making dairy foods realistic options to help people build healthier meal plans. Milk is the number one source of nine essential nutrients in the diets of America’s children – including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium, three of the four nutrients the 2015 DGAC found to be under-consumed. Dairy foods’ nutrient package can be hard to replace with other foods.

“We will provide science-based comments on the advisory report during the current public comment period and look forward to the release of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans policy document later this year.”

 

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 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 within 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 (IICA). 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 online at www.idfa.org.

LA CROSSE, WISCONSIN – The President of the National Milk Producers Federation, in remarks delivered today at a dairy cooperative convention here in western Wisconsin, singled out three of the state’s members of Congress for their leadership efforts to improve trade opportunities for dairy farmers.

NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern (in the photo), in a speech here to the annual meeting of the FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, thanked U.S. Representatives Paul Ryan, Ron Kind and Reid Ribble for their efforts in Congress to ensure that pending international trade agreements provide positive benefits for the state’s dairy industry, the nation’s second largest.

Both Ryan (R), who represents southeast Wisconsin, and Kind (D), whose western Wisconsin district includes La Crosse, serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade policy. Ryan is Chair of the Committee, while Kind serves on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. Ribble (R), who represents northeastern Wisconsin, serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee and is co-chair of the House Dairy Farmer Caucus.

“As international trade becomes a larger and more important part of the U.S. dairy economy, we are fortunate to have three major champions for the state’s dairy sector heavily involved in influencing the outcome of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. They are fighting hard to ensure that dairy farmers here, and in other states, have more open access to world markets,” Mulhern said. “Dairy farmers and processors here in Wisconsin and surrounding Midwest states have a great deal riding on the outcome of the TPP trade negotiations, and this leadership from the state’s Congressional delegation is key to helping ensure our farmers get a fair deal.”

Mulhern noted that Ryan was clear, in his recent condemnation of the high, restrictive dairy tariffs employed by Japan and Canada, that the TPP talks must tackle those barriers to U.S. exports.

“We have made good progress on dairy issues in the negotiations with Japan, but we are still not yet at an acceptable final agreement. While we recognize Japan will not eliminate all tariffs, they must provide more market access for our dairy products than they have been willing to do so far,” Mulhern told the FarmFirst members.

“Canada, on the other hand, should not be allowed to be part of this free trade agreement without providing significant new market access for U.S. dairy products. Representatives Ryan and Kind’s involvement in these issues in particular will be critical,” Mulhern said.

Mulhern also told the audience that Ryan, Kind and Ribble have been outspoken on the matter of Geographic Indications, which the European Union is seeking to expand as part of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, also currently being negotiated.

“We share Chairman Ryan’s hope that US-EU trade talks will address this problem, as well as the proliferation of other barriers hindering U.S. agricultural exports to Europe,” he said.

Mulhern thanked Rep. Kind for his efforts, on behalf of dairy farmers, to explain the importance of the trade talks to those U.S. officials currently engaged in the negotiations. He noted that Kind hosted U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman on a dairy farm in nearby Melrose last August to drive home how important international sales are to Wisconsin’s dairy industry.

“Whether the challenge is high tariffs, unfounded quality assurance barriers, or the attempt to stop cheesemakers in Wisconsin from using common names such as parmesan, feta or havarti, we have to draw a clear line that free trade talks must expand international commerce, not erect new roadblocks,” Mulhern said.

“We will continue to collaborate with Congressmen Ryan, Kind, Ribble and others in the state delegation, to ensure that the U.S. government remains resolute in its effort to use trade to grow the size of the state’s dairy sector,” Mulhern said.

(Photo Credit: FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative)

 

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.

ARLINGTON, VA – The National Milk Producers Federation thanked the House of Representatives for passing legislation today, by a vote of 272-142, to permanently extend the ability of family farmers and small businesses to write off capital purchases immediately, instead of over time. The bill now faces an uncertain future in the Senate, and a possible veto at the White House.

A permanent extension of Section 179 is one of NMPF’s legislative priorities for 2015. The tax provision is widely used by farmers to buy tractors, farm implements, and other equipment. Last December, President Obama signed legislation extending the Section 179 tax credit, along with more than 50 other expired tax provisions, but for 2014 only. That action meant farmers could benefit from the expensing allowance only on the tax forms they are filling out for 2014.

“Dairy farming requires significant investments in machinery and equipment,” said NMPF President & CEO Jim Mulhern. “By allowing producers to immediately write off these purchases, Section 179 gives producers an incentive to invest in their businesses while it reduced their record-keeping burden. This permanent extension provides much greater financial certainty in a year when dairy farmers will see much lower income levels.”

The maximum amount of annual expensing under the newly-passed House bill, H.R. 636, is $500,000, as it is for 2014. A 50 percent bonus depreciation for the purchase of new capital assets, including farm equipment, is included.

“Failure to permanently restore Section 179 will add to the financial strains on family farmers who already find it difficult to pass on their farms to the next generation,” Mulhern said.

NMPF, the voice of 32,000 dairy farmers in Washington, joined 33 other agricultural organizations in a letter sent Monday urging the House to approve H.R. 636.

 

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 dairy industry today applauded congressional leaders of the Senate Finance, House Ways and Means, Senate Judiciary, and House Judiciary committees for questioning the way a United Nations agency is considering treaty changes that could erode established trademark rights and, most critically, impair the ability of companies all around the world – including in the United States – to use numerous generic cheese names in export markets.

In a bipartisan letter to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI), Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) said the views of the United States and other member countries are not being fully considered as WIPO looks at expanding the scope of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin.

The eight congressional leaders strongly urged WIPO to follow past practice by allowing all WIPO member countries to have an equal voice in determining any changes to the Lisbon Agreement.

The letter pointed out the broad ramifications of an agreement that fails to sufficiently address the concerns of trademark holders and common name users. The letter states, “Without these safeguards, companies in the United States and elsewhere could see their sales opportunities and intellectual property rights eroded in various markets around the world. This is already occurring in many countries where U.S. companies face geographical indications registrations that threaten to internationally block their use of common food names or negatively impact existing protections for their established trademarks.”

“The proposed changes in the Lisbon Agreement are clearly aimed at preventing U.S. dairy producers and processors, and others, from using names in international trade that they have used for decades, such as feta, parmesan, havarti, asiago and others,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation.

Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council, pointed to the effort to shut out dissenting voices from the process. “Of course countries can strike treaties to address their own goals, but that should not be allowed to come at the expense of others’ long-standing and growing exports,” Suber said.

“Unless these meetings are opened to the larger WIPO membership, the amendments completed by 30 or so countries could adversely affect the rights of all WIPO members to use common food names in global trade,” said Connie Tipton, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association. “The proper protocol must be maintained to ensure the continued growth of U.S. dairy exports.”

The World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations agency charged with developing a balanced international intellectual property system. It is scheduled to consider the expansion to the Lisbon Agreement at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in mid-May. Work to prepare for that meeting is actively underway in Geneva.

 

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.

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 within 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 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 online at www.idfa.org.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) today applauded House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s strong message on agricultural market access to Japan and Canada in the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade talks.

Ryan, shown at a recent committee hearing (photo credit: AP), made it very clear that Canada and Japan must open their markets to U.S. dairy farmers or not be part of the final trade agreement. His comments came in a speech to the Washington International Trade Association.

“We could not agree more with Rep. Ryan’s statement that Canada’s ‘big restrictions on dairy, poultry and eggs products … have to go,’” said NMPF President and CEO Jim Mulhern. “Too many times in the past, Canada has gotten a pass on its impenetrable tariff wall on dairy imports. It is time Canada provides significant market access on all dairy products, from cheese to butter to milk.”

“We appreciate the intense trade negotiations now under way between the United States and Japan and believe significant progress has been made in those talks,” said USDEC President Tom Suber. “But there still is work to do. Japan’s ongoing efforts to limit meaningful market access on key U.S. dairy products are not in keeping with a trade agreement designed to expand trade opportunities.”

“We are also heartened by Chairman Ryan’s recognition that the European Union is trying to subvert the concept of geographical indications in a blatant effort to create barriers to U.S. exports of cheese and other products,” added Mulhern. “The U.S. dairy industry has repeatedly condemned EU efforts to misuse GIs to erect barriers to trade and competition. We share Chairman Ryan’s hope that US-EU trade talks will address this problem, as well as the proliferation of other barriers to U.S. agricultural exports.”

 

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.

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.