Tag: dairy
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USDA, Dairy Producers Pledge to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced an agreement with dairy producers “to accelerate adoption of innovative manure-to-energy projects,” with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25 percent by 2020. USDA has vowed to work with farmers and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy to develop and implement anaerobic…
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Livestock Operation Loses Organic Certification Amid Allegations of Poor Recordkeeping
An administrative law judge recently issued an order suspending a Nebraska-based livestock operation’s organic certification for four years, agreeing with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2008 complaint that the company failed to keep and produce adequate records. In Re Promiseland Livestock, LLC, No, 08-0134 (USDA, Nov. 25, 2009). A supplier for Aurora Dairy and other organic…
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Chinese Civil Trial Opens in Tainted Milk Scandal; Two Milk Producers Executed
According to a news source, a Chinese court began hearing claims on November 27, 2009, in a civil suit brought against a dairy company and supermarket by the parents of a child allegedly sickened by melamine-contaminated milk. The parents are reportedly seeking US$8,080, claiming that the milk caused their 20-month-old son’s kidney stone. The companies…
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U.S. Attorney Files Suit to Stop Sale of Maryland Cattle with Excessive Antibiotic Residues
A U.S. attorney in Maryland has filed a complaint for injunction against a dairy operation and its owner seeking to stop their alleged long-term misuse of antibiotics in animals that were sold for consumption. United States v. Old Carolina Farm, No. __ (D. Md., filed November 3, 2009). According to the complaint, U.S. Department of…
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EU Approves $417 Million Aid Package for Dairy Sector
EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has reportedly announced €280 million ($417 million) in additional subsidies to dairy farmers affected by plummeting agricultural prices. Intended to appease vocal protesters and agricultural lobbies, the aid responded to requests from 21 member states, including France and Germany, despite objections from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In…
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New COOL Legislation Extends Origin Labeling Laws to Dairy Products
Three U.S. Senators have introduced a bill (S. 1783) that would extend mandatory country-of-origin (COOL) labeling to dairy products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current COOL law took effect in 2008 and requires origin labeling on meats, nuts and raw produce, but not dairy products or processed foods. The Dairy COOL Act of 2009 extends…
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California, Michigan Enact Animal Welfare Laws
California and Michigan have adopted laws that animal welfare groups have reportedly heralded as landmark legislation. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) signed a bill (S.B. 135) prohibiting tail docking of dairy cows, a “ common and cruel mutilation,” according to the Humane Society of the United States. The California bill takes effect January 1, 2010. Michigan…
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Northeastern Dairy Farmers Bring Antitrust Litigation Against DFA and Dean Foods
A coalition of dairy farmers from the northeastern United States has reportedly filed a putative class action against the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Dean Foods Co., alleging that they have monopolized the distribution of fluid milk in the Northeast, fixed prices and created an economic crisis in the industry. Allen v. DFA, No.…