Fair Milk Pricing Act receives bipartisan support

WASHINGTON, D.C. | U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) have introduced the Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act, which would require manufacturers to report dairy processing costs every two years, helping dairy farmers ensure that their prices accurately reflect the costs of production. "New York dairy farmers deserve to be paid a fair price for their milk, and they need a milk pricing system that they can count on," said Sen. Gillibrand. "Requiring manufacturers to report dairy processing costs on a biennial basis will give dairy producers, processors, and cooperatives the data they need to ensure that their prices accurately reflect the costs of production. After successfully championing dairy pricing reforms in the last Congress, I look forward to supporting New York's dairy industry by passing this vital bipartisan bill." "Maine's dairy farmers work hard to produce high-quality milk, but they often don't have clear information on how processing costs affect the prices they receive for their product," said Sen. Collins. "This bipartisan bill would increase transparency across the dairy industry by requiring processors to report the costs of turning raw milk into products like cheese, butter, and yogurt, giving farmers the information they need to advocate for fairer pricing." Representatives Nick Langworthy (R-NY) and Joe Morelle (D-NY) introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The bill is endorsed by the New York Farm Bureau, National Milk Producers Federation, Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives, and International Dairy Foods Association. "The Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives (NDFC), representing dairy farmer families in New York and New England, supports the Fair Milk Pricing for Farmers Act," said Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperatives. "We commend Sens. Gillibrand (D-NY) and Collins (R-ME) for their prodigious leadership in introducing this legislation, which will empower the USDA to conduct mandatory, auditable surveys every two years. This will ensure accurate cost data to stabilize dairy programs and support systems." Sen. Gillibrand has long been a champion for fair dairy pricing. Last year, she successfully led a bipartisan group of 13 senators in calling on the USDA to restore the "higher of" Class I pricing formula through the Federal Milk Marketing Order system to fairly compensate dairy farmers, which USDA did in November 2024. In early 2023, Senator Gillibrand reintroduced her bipartisan Dairy Pricing Opportunity Act, which would empower dairy farmers to be key players in reviewing proposals that could change Class I milk pricing by requiring the USDA to hold national hearings to review Federal Milk Marketing Orders. In September 2022, she called on the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate the workability of the federal milk pricing system. In September 2021, while chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security, she held a hearing to address volatile milk pricing and explore the need for Federal Milk Marketing Order system reforms.

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Fair Milk Pricing Act receives bipartisan support

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