Tag: NCIMS
NMPF Advances Member Interests on Bulk-Tank Cleaning at NCIMS
NMPF helped deliver favorable outcomes for nine proposals it submitted on behalf of its members, including a standard for bulk-tank cleaning that’s better aligned with milk-truck standards, at the 39th National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, which met April 11-16 in Minneapolis.
The conference deliberated on numerous important issues facing FDA’s National Grade “A” Milk Program and the Grade “A” Milk Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO).
NMPF’s proposal was accepted to update the rules for cleaning on-farm bulk tanks, allowing them to be cleaned once in every 24-hour period, similar to milk hauling trucks, instead of being cleaned every time the on-farm tank is emptied. This proposed rule will save time and money for many dairy farmers who have multiple milk shipments a day and may have a positive environmental impact from less frequent chemical washes.
Delegates representing 49 states and Puerto Rico attended the conference, along with representatives from FDA and industry organizations including NMPF. Leaders from NMPF and its member cooperatives are heavily involved in NCIMS, with many serving on the NCIMS Executive Board or on committees between conferences.
Brad Suhling (Prairie Farms) was elected to the open industry from the Central Region for the NCIMS Board. Shurling previously served on the Single Service Committee, and that vacancy will be filled by Charlie Mack (Prairie Farms).
Amanda Rife (Land O’ Lakes) was elected the open industry from the Eastern Region for the NCIMS Board and will serve as chair for Council I; Dave Kedzierski (United Dairymen of Arizona) will serve as the chair for Council II; Damon Miller (Dairy Farmers of America) will continue his term as the chair for Council III; and Clay Detlefsen will continue to serve in the NMPF staff representative seat.
Finally, by unanimous vote, Antone Mickelson (Darigold/Northwest Dairy Association) will continue as vice chair of NCIMS Executive Board.
NMPF will host the NCIMS executive board at its Arlington, VA office in October for a meeting in which FDA will concur or non-concur with all of the proposals passed at the conference.
Century of PMO and interagency collaboration
By Miquela Hanselman, Director, Regulatory Affairs
For decades, the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) has served as a model cooperative program between the U.S. Public Health Service/Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the states, and the dairy industry. NCIMS brings together all dairy stakeholders to maintain and update the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), which provides uniform regulations for the dairy industry.
The 39th National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments met April 11 to 16 in Minneapolis, Minn., to deliberate many important issues facing the FDA’s National Grade A Milk Program and the PMO. Delegates representing 49 states and Puerto Rico attended, along with representatives from the FDA and industry organizations. Attendees reviewed and discussed 81 different proposals for changes to the PMO, eight of which were submitted by National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) on behalf of its members.
The conference provides a unique forum for the industry and its regulators to come together. Sometimes the most valuable advances at the conference do not come from the proposals that pass but from issues that are raised for conference-wide attention.
One issue NMPF brought forward at the conference was the confusion caused by the “Dear Veterinarian Letter” the FDA published October 11 regarding the use of aspirin products in lactating dairy cattle. In the letter, the FDA stated that veterinarians and dairy farmers should stop the use of unapproved aspirin in lactating dairy cattle and use FDA-approved products to control pyrexia and pain. This letter has perplexed the industry for the past six months, so NMPF used the conference as an opportunity to gain clarity from the FDA on its position and ensure that federal regulators are on the same page as the states and industry. Though the proposal that NMPF submitted didn’t pass, NMPF is pleased that the issue was thoroughly discussed and that NCIMS voted in favor of creating a study committee to engage the FDA, USDA, industry, and other appropriate stakeholders in exploring drug and chemical storage requirements and the administrative procedures for unapproved animal drugs, homeopathic/all natural drugs, and medical devices.
NMPF also had favorable outcomes for other proposals it submitted, including a proposal clarifying language around animal treatment record requirements and a proposal updating the rules for cleaning on-farm bulk tanks to be consistent with the rules for bulk milk hauling trucks and trailers.
Leaders from NMPF and its member cooperatives are very involved in NCIMS, and many serve on the NCIMS executive board or on committees between conferences. Brad Suhling of Prairie Farms was elected to the open industry from the central region for the NCIMS board. Suhling previously served on the Single Service Committee, and that vacancy will be filled by Charlie Mack (Prairie Farms). Amanda Rife (Land O’ Lakes) was elected the open industry from the eastern region for the NCIMS board and will serve as chair for Council I, Dave Kedzierski (United Dairymen of Arizona) will serve as the chair for Council II, Damon Miller (Dairy Farmers of America) will continue his term as the chair for Council III, and Clay Detlefsen will continue to serve in the NMPF staff representative seat. Finally, by unanimous vote, Antone Mickelson (Darigold/Northwest Dairy Association) will continue as vice chair of NCIMS executive board.
This year, attendees at NCIMS also celebrated the centennial of the PMO in 2024. The FDA ran a campaign throughout the past year to showcase what 100 years of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance has done for milk safety in the United States. Other industry partners also celebrated the centennial in different ways, including an award-winning feature story in New York Archives and a deep dive about the PMO in the “Food Safety Matters” podcast.
Protecting milk quality and safety is crucial for public health. The PMO has done that effectively for 100 years, and with continued collaboration through NCIMS, it will continue for many more.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on May 1, 2025.
NMPF Represents Members at Successful NCIMS Conference
The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) addressed 72 proposals submitted to revise the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) and its related documents at a meeting in Indianapolis from April 3-7.
NMPF staff advocated positions of interest for dairy cooperatives and their producer members. Many NMPF members also attended and played key roles in the deliberations of the conference. The 2023 conference featured more than 400 attendees — a record — after taking a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NMPF was pleased with many of the outcomes of the proposals and made significant progress in achieving reasonable solutions on many key issues.
The conference once again highlighted the successful collaboration between the U.S. Public Health Service/Food and Drug Administration, state regulators and dairy industry representatives to continue to promote and protect a safe supply of Grade A milk and milk products. A total of 40 proposals were passed by the delegates either as submitted or as amended. Below are the outcomes of the NMPF-submitted proposals.
- Proposal 207 was submitted to require a 48-hour notice prior to on-farm inspection. Reasons for this include the risks to human health following the COVID-19 pandemic, the farm’s biosecurity and overall personnel safety. The proposal was amended at the conference and passed through the delegates to be assigned to a standing or ad-hoc committee to review sections 8, 13, and 14 of the PMO. This is an important first step in recognizing the importance of biosecurity measures on dairy farms and will hopefully lead to further discussion of inspection notices.
- Proposal 301 provided a definition of equivalence for the USPHS/FDA responsibility to determine whether a foreign country’s regulatory program and government oversight of that program has an equivalent effect on the safety of the regulated milk or milk product. The term “equivalence” is important for international trade; unfortunately, the PMO has long lacked a definition. This proposal passed through the delegates as amended to include a plain language definition in line with that of the World Trade Organization. Defining equivalence provides clarity for industry, state and Federal stakeholders about foreign countries’ obligations to participate in the PMO. This proposal reinforces the importance of transparency when analyzing equivalence for foreign countries.
- Proposal 302 was voted no action as 301 was decided to be the proper pathway for equivalence.
Also to note, Antone Mickelson, NMPF’s NCIMS committee chair, was re-elected to fill the western states industry seat on the NCIMS Executive committee and NCIMS Vice Chair. The next conference will be held in 2025 in Minneapolis.
