Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance (VDPA) is calling on all retail outlets selling dairy products to stop placing quantity limits on them. Today, and going into the future, there should be no shortages within the dairy markets. The reality of farmers dumping milk while stores are limiting the purchase of those products is disheartening. Additionally, during COVID-19 it is even more imperative that consumers access the dairy products they need as well as for their families and neighbors they may be shopping for.
Our country is on the eve of a food crisis which we have not seen since the Great Depression. Farmers are essential for safe and reliable food across our country and at time when the food supply is broken due to pandemic circumstances, it makes little sense for limits to be placed on products that are in abundance.
Milk contains 9 essential nutrients and can be used as a replacement for products that we will potentially see shortages like beef & pork at our retail outlets due to processing and transportation issues. Milk and food security, along with regional food production and processing will need to be secured and addressed in the later months. In the meantime, Vermonters need the confidence of knowing they have complete and total access to a secure and safe food product like dairy.
VDPA as well as multiple agencies and dairy cooperatives including Secretary Anson Tebbetts of the Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets and the Senate Agriculture Committee have asked the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association as well as individual supermarkets to remove signage that placed limits on healthy dairy products that are in abundance. However, products around the state are still being limited, either by posted signs or at the check-out counter.
We respectfully ask our retail partners to remove the barrier to purchasing dairy products by taking down signs that place limits on the products. Thank you.
About the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance: The Alliance is comprised of dairy farmers and industry partners in the farming industry, representing dairy farms of all sizes throughout Vermont. The Alliance works together with members, industry partners and state government to adopt regulations that won’t cripple the economic viability of the Vermont dairy industry.
Source: Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance 5.3.2020