Several big initiatives are making headlines. Here is the latest news affecting dairy producers across the country:
- Nationwide beef, milk H5N1 sampling plans announced
- USDA intends to create GHG advisory council, seeks nominations
- USDEC, NMPF press for preemption of Colombian trade barriers
- Americans ate more cheese, less butter in June
Nationwide beef, milk H5N1 sampling plans announced
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced it will add H5N1 influenza A monitoring in dairy cows at slaughter starting on Sept. 16.
H5N1 (HPAI) sampling will occur in the muscle samples of dairy cow carcasses already collected for the FSIS’s existing National Residue Program (NRP).
Carcasses sampled under the program are held by establishments pending results of residue testing. This new process will not require additional holding time for carcasses beyond current residue testing protocols. In the event of a positive H5N1 finding, the USDA will work with industry to ensure the carcass does not enter the food supply.
In addition, the FDA, the USDA and the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments notified leadership of state Departments of Agriculture and Health of plans for an H5N1 national sampling study using raw milk from dairy processing facilities.
State agencies will be contacted seeking their voluntary participation in this six-week study, which is meant to determine the prevalence of H5N1 in bulk raw cow’s milk to inform a national strategy to control the spread of the virus.
The FDA maintains proper pasteurization inactivates the H5N1 virus, and this has been confirmed by the results from a second survey of retail dairy products.
The FDA’s second sampling survey tested dairy products collected at retail locations, including aged raw milk cheese, pasteurized fluid milk and products made from pasteurized milk, such as pasteurized cheeses, cream cheese, butter and ice cream.
Samples were processed and analyzed by a USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) laboratory from June 18 – July 31. All 167 samples were found to be negative for viable H5N1 virus.
USDA intends to create GHG advisory council, seeks nominations
The USDA is seeking nominations for a newly established greenhouse gas (GHG) advisory council.
In an announcement made Aug. 13, the USDA stated their intent to create the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council. The council, to be informally referred to as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council, will connect farmers and third-party verifiers in the carbon credit marketplace.
“The program will enable USDA to reduce market confusion by connecting qualified providers and third-party verifiers who can offer technical expertise with producers seeking to obtain carbon credits,” stated Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in the press release. “Establishing this council with a slate of expert members from diverse backgrounds will be an important step forward in creating a program that can assist a wide scope of our stakeholders in accessing strong and verified environmental credit markets.”
A total of 32 individuals will be appointed to the council, representing the USDA, the EPA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, farmers, ranchers, private forest landowners, the forestry and forest products industry, scientific research communities, experts in voluntary environmental credit markets and verification requirements, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and private sector businesses that participate in the marketplace. The council will be comprised of at least 51% farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners.
Key activities of the council will include reviewing and recommending changes to the list of protocols for generating environmental credits; the required qualifications for entities that provide technical assistance to farmers; and the activities those technical assistance providers and third-party verifiers may register that prevent, reduce or mitigate GHG emissions.
The council will also be responsible for advising the U.S. secretary of agriculture on current methods for quantifying GHG emissions mitigation, ways to reduce marketplace enrollment barriers and costs, and strengthening markets to align with the administration’s position on voluntary carbon markets.
The council will submit an initial assessment about the program to Congress and will consult with the U.S. secretary of agriculture concerning additional assessments.
Interested parties should refer to the Federal Register notice for detailed information on candidate qualifications and requirements. Interested parties may also submit comments online through Oct. 15.
USDEC, NMPF press for preemption of Colombian trade barriers
The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) are asking the U.S. government to prepare a plan to “leverage all available tools” should Colombia move forward with imposing countervailing tariffs on U.S. milk powder exports.
Colombia’s recent decision to initiate an unwarranted subsidies and countervailing measures investigation into U.S. exports of milk powder is a tariff threat without merit, USDEC and NMPF said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
The letter also explains that imported milk powder products and domestically produced fluid milk are not interchangeable ingredients in a food manufacturing facility.
A preliminary decision is expected this fall, after which countervailing duties could be imposed on U.S. exports to Colombia.
Americans ate more cheese, less butter in June
According to a report from the USDA Economic Research Service, total domestic consumption of cheese increased 3.3 million pounds in June 2024 compared to the same month last year. Increased consumption of cheeses other than American offset declines in the domestic consumption of American cheese.
Butter consumption was down 3.7 million pounds compared to June 2023, while consumption of dry skim milk products decreased 20 million pounds in the same time frame.
