Agricultural News
NMPF Applauds Establishment of Dairy Donation Program to Fight Food Insecurity
Wed, 25 Aug 2021 12:44:49 CDT
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) today commended USDA for finalizing rules implementing the new Dairy Donation Program enacted by Congress last year. The program will help expand partnerships between dairy organizations and food banks to provide a wide range of dairy products to food-insecure households.
The new Dairy Donation Program expands the original Milk Donation Reimbursement Program and has one-time funding of $400 million to reimburse farmers, cooperatives, and other dairy organizations for the full cost of raw milk needed to make finished dairy products for consumers.
"We thank USDA leadership for their work to bring the Dairy Donation Program to fruition. This important program will help dairy farmers and the cooperatives they own to do what they do best: feed families nationwide," Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF, said. "Dairy stakeholders are eager to enhance their partnerships with food banks and other distributors to provide dairy products to those experiencing food insecurity, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated."
NMPF championed the proposal throughout the legislative process and worked closely with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, who led the effort to include this new program in COVID-19-related legislation enacted last year.
"We are grateful to USDA for helping ensure wholesome dairy products can be provided to food banks and other food distributors by reimbursing for some of these costs," Mulhern said. "We have also been pleased to work with Feeding America to advance the partnership approach taken by this program as it will help to target dairy donations in a manner that effectively meets on-the-ground demand."
NMPF worked closely with USDA to ensure that the program addresses additional costs, such as processing and transportation, as well as other elements that make the program more viable. The provision covering the cost of processing is a significant enhancement from the previous program. NMPF also worked closely with Feeding America to support the program and recommend approaches to ensure its effectiveness.
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