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Reaction Of
The Vermont Congressional Delegation
To The Agreement On A National Dairy Program
In The Farm Bill
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National Dairy Plan,
Modeled On N.E. Dairy Compact,
Added To Farm Bill
WASHINGTON (April 26) – Senate and House negotiators Friday reached
final agreement on a farm bill that includes a new national dairy
program, modeled on the benefits of the Northeast Dairy Compact. The
program, backed by the Vermont Congressional Delegation, will
guarantee dairy farmers in Vermont and across the nation benefits
similar to those available to Northeast farmers under the Compact,
which expired last September. In another key feature, farmers will
receive payments retroactive to Dec. 1 last year, when milk prices to
producers plunged.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, a senior member of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, led negotiations on the plan in the House-Senate conference
committee that has been working for several months to iron out
differences between different versions of the farm bill passed by the
Senate and the House. The Senate bill included a version of a national
dairy plan and the House bill did not.
Sen. Patrick Leahy said: "This is a big win and a hard-fought win
for dairy farmers. It took just about every waking moment we have had
for months, but we got what Vermont needed from this farm bill. We
insisted on a central place at the negotiating table for dairy
farmers, and the result is a nationwide plan that ensures
compact-level benefits to Vermont farmers and to farmers nationwide.
We fought to make these payments retroactive, and we won. Now dairy
farmers in the rest of the country will find out why the compact
worked so well and why we have valued it so much. We see this as a
bridge to the day that we can bring back the compact."
Sen. Jim Jeffords said: "This is truly a remarkable achievement for
not just our dairy farmers, but for all of us who care so deeply about
Vermont's rural landscape and character. The dairy provision in this
farm bill will provide direct, counter-cyclical payments to producers
when they need it most, during times of depressed dairy prices. These
payments, targeted to help family farms, are retroactive to December
1, 2001, and are an important step towards maintaining the viability
of our dairy industry. There were many who helped us march down the
field, but Senator Leahy deserves the credit for moving the dairy
proposal over the goal line and scoring a winning touchdown for dairy
farmers across this nation."
Rep. Bernie Sanders said: "This victory is the product of months of
hard work on the part of the entire delegation that, according to our
coordinated strategy, began last October when my amendment
establishing a national dairy compact came within less than two dozen
votes of passing on the floor of the House and continued with the bold
and forceful leadership of Senators Leahy and Jeffords in the Senate.
Last September, no one would have thought that the Northeast, Midwest
and South would have come together over dairy policy, but we have and
family farmers in Vermont and all over this country will benefit
substantially."
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