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Jonker Promoted to NMPF Vice President of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs

August 5, 2009

To further enhance NMPF's efforts in the constantly evolving regulatory arena, NMPF staff member Dr. Jamie Jonker was promoted to the position of Vice President of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs. He assumed the lead     regulatory role with NMPF following the resignation of Dr. Rob Byrne, who is now working for Schreiber Foods.

In his new role, Jonker will expand his current responsibilities in regulatory affairs, including animal health and welfare, animal biotechnology, dairy farm bio-security, dairy farm air and water quality, dairy processing and products, and technical service issues. He will also continue to coordinate relationships with NMPF's Animal Health & Welfare Committee, Regulatory Committee, NCIMS Committee, and Environmental Task Force; and with the National Institute for Animal Agriculture and Animal Agriculture Coalition.

Jonker actively represents NMPF on numerous national and international committees, including the Johne's Disease Working Group, the National Dairy FARM Program, and the in-country U.S. Delegations to the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs and the Codex Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Food Derived from Biotechnology. In 2008, he was appointed to the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology & 21st Century Agriculture and the International Dairy Federation's Standing Committees on Animal Health and Farm Management.

Jonker received a Ph.D. in Animal & Avian Sciences from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining NMPF, his career included six years of experience in agricultural policy including service at the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture.

He spent his formative years on a 100-cow family dairy farm in New York, participating in all aspects of dairy production from crop production to animal health to nutrition.