ALBANY — New York's top lawmakers have gotten behind growing support to protect small and mid-sized dairy in the Northeast, following Horizon Organic's announced departure from 89 dairy farms, with more than half of them in upstate New York.
U.S. senators Charles E. Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik signed onto a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday, along with federal elected officials from Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. It was the delegation's first formal, collective step to protect the dairy farmers and an industry that experts and advocates warn could face dire consequences if other large corporations that collect milk from local dairies pull their business.
The letter calls both for relief for the farmers hurt by the decision, and to create a more equal playing field in the organic dairy industry, something advocates and experts have noted put Northeast dairy farmers at a disadvantage.
"We believe this matter further underscores the long overdue need to close existing loopholes in the rules governing how livestock are transitioned to organic and strengthen enforcement of the pasture rule, particularly for large-scale complex dairies," the delegation wrote in the letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The letter was sent less than a week after the Times Union reported about an organic dairy industry in dire condition after the decision by Danone, which owns Horizon Organic, to pull out contracts with dairy farms in the Northeast, including 46 in upstate New York. Danone did offer the farms a one-year contract through August 2022 to "help facilitate a smooth transition," the company said.
About 17 organic dairy farms in Washington County are believed to be facing termination, which would account for nearly one fifth of the dairy farms in the rural county, according to the state Department of Agriculture data.
Schumer, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, called for Vilsack to "act immediately to secure the long-term economic viability of our upstate organic dairy farmers and close loopholes that threaten the entire industry."
"New York’s dairy farmers are the lifeblood of the upstate economy and after years of being wrung dry by a system that disadvantages them, they’re now at the edge of an economic precipice," Schumer said in a statement Thursday. "For many family-owned organic dairy farms, losing their contracts with Horizon Organics will be the final pull on the rug under them."
A similar message came from Gillibrand, who is the chair of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Local Food Systems, and Food Safety and Security.
"For years, organic dairy farmers have faced a significant competitive disadvantage against large-scale producers that threatens their livelihoods," Gillibrand said in a statement Thursday. "New York is home to more than 3,000 dairy farms and they serve as an economic cornerstone to many local and rural communities. The USDA must prioritize the Origin of Livestock Rule and close loopholes that favor large-scale, complex producers and put our small farmers in jeopardy."
Experts told the Times Union earlier this month that the the USDA has had an open comment period on transitioning live stock to being in compliance with organics for years. The current iteration of the rule has had an open comment extending to 2015.
Closing that rule, something Danone and the Organics Trade Association informed the USDA in 2019 they support, would help create more fair costs across the board and bring more integrity to the organic product, which consumers pay more for because of its standards for production, experts have said.
Stefanik, a North Country Republican, was the lone New York member of Congress to sign onto the letter. The issue with Danone primarily is related to her district, although experts note the decision could be a harbinger for small-scale organic business statewide.
"Our North Country dairy farmers work tirelessly, and I am proud to work to find targeted solutions to support them,” Stefanik said in a statement. "I am committed to working with the USDA to provide the North Country’s dairy farmers the support they need during this time of transition."
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Federal lawmakers to USDA: Help save small organic dairy farms - Times Union
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