July 17, 2019
CONNECTICUT HOSTS NATIONAL DAIRY REGULATORY CONFERENCE
Bureau of Agricultural Development and Resource Conservation
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) proudly hosted this year’s annual meeting of the National Association of Dairy Regulatory Officials (NADRO).
The annual meeting of allied dairy industry representatives, dairy processors, dairy producers, and dairy industry public officials was held July 14-17, 2019 in Mystic, CT.
The mission of NADRO is to protect public health and promote regulatory uniformity and efficiency in the dairy industry. NADRO works to address the concerns of the dairy industry and to make recommendations to relevant federal agencies and national organizations.
The association meets annually to discuss issues relevant to dairy regulatory matters, evaluate issues impacting the nation’s dairy industry and to formulate recommendations to federal agencies and national organizations. The last time the annual meeting was held in Connecticut was 49 years ago in Windsor.
This year’s topics of discussion included regulation of automatic milking installations, advancements in milk testing, and updates regarding the dairy inspection pilot program.
DoAg Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt welcomed dairy industry representatives and regulators from across the country to Connecticut.
“Thank you all for being here and welcome to the great state of Connecticut,” said Commissioner Hurlburt in his opening remarks to the conference.
“In Connecticut, agriculture is a $4 billion industry. We work over 440,000 acres of land, we have 5,500 small businessmen and women, and 21,000 great paying jobs that support our communities,” said Commissioner Hurlburt.
“But because we are spread out across 169 towns and we have been here for so long, people take the impact and value of agriculture for granted here in the state. And, we work very hard in this department to make sure people understand that agriculture is viable and integral to Connecticut’s future.”
The conference was organized in large part by DoAg Milk Safety Division representative, Jim Allyn who served as NADRO President in 2018, and NADRO Executive Treasurer Eunice Schlappi of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
“We appreciate all the hard work and effort Jim and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture put into organizing and hosting this event,” said Eunice.
Conference presentations included a Grade “A” Equivalence update provided by Randy Elsberry, Senior Milk Sanitation Officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Capt. Timothy S. Roddy of FDA’s Office of State Cooperative Programs provided an update regarding Appendix T Inspections associated with the FDA Dairy Inspection Pilot program.
Jamie Jonker of the National Milk Producers Federation provided an update which included information about labeling of nondairy vegetable-based products as “milk,” “yogurt,” “cheese,” “ice cream” and “butter”.
Jamie’s presentation also included information about U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney’s efforts to improve childhood nutrition by making milk more readily available in schools through the School Milk Nutrition Act of 2019.
On June 7, 2019, Commissioner Hurlburt and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney visited Mountain Dairy in Mansfield for a tour of the facility, and to announce the legislation intended to reverse the decline of milk consumption in schools.
From 2014-2016, schools served 213 million fewer half pints of milk, even though school enrollment was growing.
The School Milk Nutrition Act of 2019 would codify recent regulatory changes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provided schools with the option to serve low-fat, 1-percent flavored milk.
Providing students with the option to consume low-fat milk with flavor has the potential to positively affect milk consumption and student health trends, while at the same time supporting local dairy farmers.
“What’s happened to dairy farms in Connecticut has been a troubling trend across the country,” said Commissioner Hurlburt. “A vibrant dairy industry is crucial to the entire agricultural economy.”
Commissioner Hurlburt told the conference of dairy regulators about the dairy support program created by the Connecticut legislature to provide additional dollars to dairy farmers based on the cost of production.
“In the past two years the general assembly and the previous governor, put millions of additional dollars into that pool,” said Commissioner Hurlburt. “The new biennial budget signed by Governor Lamont just a few weeks ago provides an additional $2.5 million to support the dairy industry.”
“We have very difficult costs of productions given the size and scale of the dairy industry, but we have hard working families who are doing everything they can to make sure their business continues,” said Commissioner Hurlburt.
