Tag: dairy
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Cornucopia Institute Renews Charges About Aurora Dairy Organic Practices
The Cornucopia Institute, which represents the interests of small organic agricultural operations, has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate charges that Aurora Dairy’s High Plains facility is operating in violation of National Organic Program (NOP) standards. In its August 31, 2009, letter, the institute refers to a similar complaint it filed…
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USDA Establishes Dairy Advisory Committee, Requests Nominations
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the creation of a Dairy Advisory Committee that will “play an important role in building a more stable market for dairy production for years to come,” according to an agency news release. The two-year committee will specifically review farm milk price volatility and dairy farmer…
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Aurora Dairy Plaintiffs Appeal District Court’s Preemption Dismissal
Multidistrict litigation plaintiffs who sued Aurora Dairy Corp., an accredited organic certifying agent and a number of food retailers have appealed the district court decision dismissing their claims to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In re: Aurora Dairy Corp. Organic Milk Mktg. & Sales Practices Litig., MDL No. 08-1907 (E.D. Mo., appeal noticed July 2,…
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42 Nebraska Herds Quarantined over Concerns of Bovine Tuberculosis
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture has reportedly quarantined 42 herds involved in an ongoing bovine tuberculosis outbreak, which the department says may have already spread to Colorado and South Dakota because animals from quarantined herds were sold to cattle producers in those states. Transmitted through contact and respiration, bovine tuberculosis is easily transmitted within herds…
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MDL Court Dismisses Aurora Dairy Litigation with Prejudice
The multitdistrict litigation (MDL) court in Missouri before which nearly 20 putative class actions against Aurora Dairy Corp., an accredited organic certifying agent and several retailers had been consolidated for pre-trial proceedings, has dismissed the lawsuits with prejudice finding that federal organic food laws preempt the claims. In re Aurora Dairy Corp. Organic Milk Mktg. &…
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Disputes over Insurance Coverage for Organic Milk Litigation Consolidated
A federal magistrate in Colorado has consolidated two lawsuits that address whether Aurora Dairy Corp.’s insurers are required to defend or indemnify the organic dairy in a host of consumer class actions alleging that the company falsely certified its milk as organic. ACE Am. Ins. Corp. v. Aurora Organic Dairy Corp., No. 08-1236 (D. Colo.,…
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Kansas Senate Will Not Override Veto of Milk Hormone Bill
The Kansas Senate will apparently not try to override former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius’s veto of a bill that would have required a disclaimer on dairy products made without artificial growth hormones. Sebelius, recently confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, vetoed the bill in late April 2009 reportedly because it would have…
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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Dairy’s Right to Challenge Marketing Law Amendments
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has determined that the owners of a dairy are not required to first exhaust administrative remedies before bringing a constitutional challenge to Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act amendments. Hettinga v. U.S., No. 07-5403 (D.C. Cir., decided April 3, 2009). The amendments codified certain rule changes that the Secretary of Agriculture…