US dairy organisations call for exports to “international neighbours in need”

US dairy organisations have called upon Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to make US dairy products available to countries affected by food shortages amid Covid-19.

In a joint letter, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), and the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) urged Purdue to “ensure high-quality, nutritious US dairy products are made available to our international neighbours in need”.

The US dairy sector has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with the shutdown of restaurants, coffee shops and schools signalling the collapse of major sectors of the milk marketplace.

Dairy farmers, who have been recorded dumping milk “into fields and down drains”, are, IDFA claims, facing some of the steepest losses among all major US agricultural producers.

These could potentially amount to $8.2 billion, the organisation says, based on a comparison of current USDA projections with pre-crisis estimates.

“As a nation, we are blessed to have an abundance of dairy available, even during this difficult time,” wrote Michael Dykes, Jim Mulhern and Tom Vilsack, the respective presidents and CEOs of IDFA, NMPF and USDEC.

“Taking steps to share that abundance with the world will provide a lifeline for regions where food is needed while supplying an additional outlet for American farmers to share their abundance of dairy products.

“We encourage a focus in particular on countries that have indicated a food or nutrition deficit in their country during these times and that lack the infrastructure or resources to reliably deliver dairy supplies through robust commercial channels.”

The plight of US dairy farmers has seen parallels with the situation facing the sector elsewhere. In the UK, a survey from the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) recorded that over 1 million litres of milk had been discarded by farmers during a two-week window last month.

The UK Government has since launched a support package for dairy farmers in England who have been severely affected by Covid-19 disruption, allowing them to claim up to £10,000 each to cover lost income.