The U.S. needs to follow international norms on the proper labeling of butter and dairy terms, NMPF Senior Vice President of Communications Alan Bjerga said in an interview with RFD Radio. A recent decision by the Codex Alimentarius reaffirms labeling integrity internationally, with the FDA planning guidance on similar matter next year. Bjerga also discusses NMPF’s Dairy Defined series of informational essays and podcasts.
NMPF and U.S. Dairy Export Council Executive Vice President Jaime Castaneda discusses backups at U.S. ports, how delays in dairy shipments can threaten trade reliability and relationships, and how federal policy can be improved to alleviate dairy export challenges on the Adams on Agriculture podcast.
Strange bedfellows, indeed. But also a reason for hope.
In Case You Missed It, the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils of the Codex Alimentarius, which, among other things, sets international food standards, in October decided not to take up a proposal by IMACE, the European Margarine Association, to allow its members to call their members’ products “plant butter” under the international standard for fat spreads and blended spreads.
U.S. dairy farmers hold no natural gripe against the European Margarine Association – in fact, we had never even heard of them until last month. Europeans, like consumers worldwide, have every right to purchase inferior products in fair and open market competition. However, touting “plant butter” as a legitimate name is a rude introduction to our continental purveyors of congealed vegetable oil, to say the least. It smacks of the shenanigans of Country Crock on this side of the Atlantic. And it speaks volumes about the increasing brazenness of plant-based imposters that they would even bring forth this request, which is so obviously driven by marketing concerns over the public good.
As due process dictates, the European Margarine Association got its hearing. And fortunately, most of the world is much more honest and consistent in labeling than what’s currently practiced in the United States. A wide-ranging coalition of nations spoke against it before CODEX, including the EU itself, France, Norway, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, India, Iran, Argentina, Colombia, Uganda, Malaysia, and the United States. For a brief moment, longtime friends, and even longtime adversaries, fought the fakes. The world came together to defend dairy terms, gain showing the power that global dairy has to nourish and promote health – in this case, the health of international relations.
And so, “plant butter” as a global standard has been resoundingly defeated – for now. But it still leaves some unanswered questions. Why now, European Margarine Association? Why did the idea even come up? Perhaps even more interesting is how the global consensus reflects on current U.S. practice. The argument used by many nations to deny the request was that it would contravene the Codex General Standard for Use of Dairy Terms (GSUDT) (CXS 206-1999) as well as mislead the consumer.
But if that argument is understood and accepted around the world, why has it been so hard to get across here in the U.S.? With the FDA next year promising guidance on dairy labeling, and with an NMPF request to the FDA ombudsman for the agency to enforce its own rules still pending review, will the U.S. be willing to stake out the same pro-consumer position right here at home that it (rightfully) takes abroad?
We shall see. But we never fail to hope that the U.S. will eventually stand behind its own dairy standards of identity. Global support for the proper use of dairy terms remains strong, and that strength only raises our hope that worldwide consistency can soon be achieved. And heck, if the United States can agree with Iran on something … maybe this truly is the first step toward a better tomorrow.
So thank you for clarifying where the world stands, European Margarine Association. May this request never be made again – and may its rejection be an example our own government will follow.
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement this week that it has joined the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero initiative as a formal supporter. The dairy groups also welcomed this week’s formal launch of the Agriculture Innovation Mission (AIM) for Climate.
These global agriculture efforts align with the approach U.S. dairy is taking to reduce its environmental impact through its Net Zero Initiative, which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and will help the U.S. dairy industry be an environmental solution now and in the future.
Pathways to Dairy Net Zero is a ground-breaking, multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to accelerate climate change action across the dairy sector. It is well-aligned with the U.S. dairy industry’s own Net Zero Initiative, launched last year, that reinforces its leadership within global agriculture as a source of climate solutions. AIM for Climate accelerates climate-smart agriculture and food systems innovation over the next five years by embracing practical solutions identified through investments in research and pilot programs. This is very similar to dairy’s Net Zero approach.
To help demonstrate the U.S. dairy industry’s commitment to sustainability and ensure our farmers, processors and exporters are well represented in this important global forum, USDEC’s senior vice president for Sustainability and Multilateral Affairs, Nick Gardner, was on the ground in Glasgow for COP26 events.
“Dairy farmers are proud to be part of the U.S. Dairy Net Zero Initiative to do our part in driving toward a global climate solution,” said Jim Mulhern, president, and CEO of NMPF. “USDA’s formal support for the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, which NMPF also supports, will help to further catalyze this global effort by dairy sectors and governments around the world to foster sustainable production practices. We commend USDA’s global leadership in charting an incentive-based approach to encouraging sustainably managed livestock systems that can help feed a growing global population while minimizing environmental impacts.”
“With the world’s lowest greenhouse gas footprint per gallon of milk, U.S. dairy leads the world in sustainability. Yet we’re also deeply committed to making further progress as we work together with others in the U.S. and around the world to create environmental solutions that make U.S. dairy ever more competitive globally,” said Krysta Harden, president and CEO of USDEC. “Working together and with a firm commitment to the positive role that innovation and productivity can play in the sustainability arena, we’ll be able to help create the sustainable future so important to us all.”
Buffalo, MN dairy farmer Charles Krause, a family farm-owner of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), was named the National Milk Producers Federation’s (NMPF) first-ever Farmer Communicator of the Year at the organization’s annual gathering of dairy-cooperative communicators. Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI) earned top overall communications honors among NMPF member co-ops.
Krause milks around 300 cows with his son, Andrew, on the fifth-generation dairy farm. He was recognized for both his promotion of dairy before the broader public as well as his willingness to be involved in crucial public-policy issues before the industry.
“From teaching the basics of dairy farming to kids in a local classroom, at his farm or even virtually, to authoring a column regarding the importance of dairy dialogue at the UN Food Systems summit to inviting his local Congressman to spend time at his farm, Charles is an unwavering spokesperson on behalf of his own farm, as well as the entire industry,” DFA wrote in its nominating letter.
AMPI was recognized for its numerous first-place awards in NMPF’s annual communications contest, highlighted by its “Best in Show” recognition for its Dairyman’s Digest magazine, led by Sarah Schmidt and Nickie Sabo in the contest’s publication category.
“Great job staying focused on your mission and keeping member information as the focus,” read the judge’s comments in response to AMPI’s prize-winning entry. “From beginning to end I would feel proud to be an AMPI member from the info highlighted in the member publication.”
Krause and AMPI will also be recognized at NMPF’s annual meeting in Las Vegas later this month. A full list of the winners of the NMPF communications contest, which received entries from 12 member cooperatives, can be found here.
CWT member cooperatives secured 35 contracts in October adding 650,000 pounds of American-type cheeses, 628,000 pounds of butter, 20 million pounds of whole milk powder and 926,000 pounds of cream cheese to CWT-assisted sales in 2021. These products will go customers in Asia, Middle East-North Africa, Europe, Central America, Caribbean and South America, and will be shipped from October 2021 through March 2022.
CWT-assisted 2021 dairy product sales contracts year-to-date total 38.3 million pounds of American-type cheese, 13.3 million pounds of butter, 6.1 million pounds of anhydrous milkfat, 11.3 million pounds of cream cheese and 44 million pounds of whole milk powder. This brings the total milk equivalent for the year to 1.228 billion pounds on a milkfat basis.
Exporting dairy products is critical to the viability of dairy farmers and their cooperatives across the country. Whether or not a cooperative is actively engaged in exporting cheese, butter, anhydrous milkfat, cream cheese, or whole milk powder, moving products into world markets is essential. CWT provides a means to move domestic dairy products to overseas markets by helping to overcome U.S. dairy’s trade disadvantages.
The amounts of dairy products and related milk volumes reflect current contracts for delivery, not completed export volumes. CWT will pay export assistance to the bidders only when export and delivery of the product is verified by the submission of the required documentation.
The Galen family at Milkwood Farm (Lynn Dairy) in Neillsville, WI and Emily Pankratz with Holtz Ridge Grass Farms (Saputo) in Rudolph, WI were selected out of 84 entries as the winners of the FARM Program Employee Appreciation Pizza Party as part of FARM’s participation in World Dairy Expo.
Dairy farmers and managers were encouraged to enter for the chance to treat their employees when they visited the FARM booth during World Dairy Expo, Sept. 28-Oct. 2. During the trade show, FARM Program staff shared resources with visitors including the 2021 Year in Review, the Calf Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) Manual, and the Drug Residue Pocket Guide. They also answered farmer and stakeholder questions about current Version 4.0 expectations and the beginning stages of Version 5.0 planning.
FARM Program staff also attended the American Association of Bovine Practitioners Annual Conference October 7-9, during which veterinarians had an opportunity to ask questions, gather resources, and have conversations at FARM’s booth. FARM also participated in a joint session with the Beef Quality Assurance Program at the conference to provide program updates about current standards and future revisions, FARM Biosecurity, and CCQA.
The NMPF’s annual scholarship fundraising raffle is now live! Our new online format allows for wide opportunity to support the NMPF National Dairy Leadership Scholarship program, which is traditionally touted each year at NMPF’s in-person annual meeting but now expanded to ensure broader participation. The raffle can be accessed at go.rallyup.com/NMPFRaffle2021. Tickets may be purchased through Nov. 30 and the raffle drawing will occur Dec. 1. Prizes this year include $750 and $500 American Express gift cards, a $250 Target gift card, a Cabot Creamery Premium Gift Box, a $100 Kansas City Steak gift card, and more.
The scholarship program supports Master’s and Ph.D. students who are conducting research important to dairy farmers. The 2021 recipients are researching ways to predict metritis cure as a path to reducing antimicrobial use in dairy cattle; the stimulation of microbial protein synthesis by branched volatile fatty acids; and welfare implications of caustic paste disbudding and pain mitigation for dairy calves.
The scholarship program is largely funded through the raffle fundraiser, so your ticket purchases are immensely appreciated.
Sustaining this program means ensuring that critical research benefiting the entire dairy community can continue.
The dairy community will soon be gathering at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas Nov. 14-17 for the 2021 NMPF annual meeting, held in conjunction with the national dairy checkoff organizations overseen by Dairy Management Inc. With a theme of “Make Every Drop Count,” this year’s event will examine how dairy’s policy and promotion organizations work together globally to build markets for dairy products. The program will cover key topics of interest to farmers, including economics, sustainability, nutrition policy, trade, animal care, and changes in the global dairy marketplace. The national Young Cooperator program will also hold its annual session on Nov. 14-15.
In addition to NMPF’s Town Hall session, the conference will feature a panel discussion of how NMPF and the national checkoff are working to defend the sustainability of real dairy products, particularly as the marketing environment in the dairy category becomes even more competitive. Another panel will discuss National Milk’s work with the U.S. Dairy Export Council to create high-value new opportunities for American dairy exports. The annual meeting website has more information.
