More than 30 dairy foods manufacturers – including some of the largest food companies in the United States – have sent letters over the past week to members of the House and Senate, including key agriculture committee members, calling on them to oppose government-imposed limits on milk supply. 

"You can read that report until the proverbial cows come home and you will not find anywhere that it concludes that the Dairy Security Act is the best approach for dairy farmers, as was falsely claimed by the National Milk Producers Federation," said Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president of legislative and economic affairs.

The Dairy Business Association and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association say they appreciate Rep. Reid Ribble's support of Wisconsin's dairy industry through his vote in favor of the Goodlatte/Scott amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill. As Wisconsin's only member on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Ribble worked to find a compromise to eliminate a so-called 'dairy stabilization plan,' a complex government intervention in commercial transactions intended to control the supply of milk from farms. Congressman Ribble supported reducing milk price volatility without restricting milk supply, said Laurie Fischer, Executive Director of DBA. 

The Dairy Market Stabilization Program as proposed by H.R. 3062, the Dairy Security Act, would manipulate both the supply of and demand for milk in order to push U.S. milk prices higher than open markets otherwise provide, says the president of the International Dairy Foods Association. "Given the importance of exports to our industry's ability to grow and create new jobs, it makes no sense at all for Congress to pass a new supply management program that will restrict our ability to be reliable suppliers and will negatively impact investment decisions by processors regarding new facilities," said Connie Tipton, IDFA president and CEO.