Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Imports and MPCs

To clarify a previous question comparing our own fathers in dairy farming with our current experience: The price we dairy farmers were paid for most of 2009 for a hundredweight of milk was less than our own fathers made in the 1970's! Because the price we get for our milk fluctuates every month, there were times in the last five years, especially, when the price we got was getting very close to the prices dairy farmers got way back in the '70's. Meanwhile, all our expenses were doubling, tripling, etc.
More questions that people wonder about in the dairy industry:
But aren't the dairy imports from other countries, such as China, India and Mexico, inspected? According to my research, less than two percent of any imports are being inspected. But what kind of inspections are done throughout the entire process in these countries, from the health of the cow to sanitation procedures?
How are these imports, MPCs and caseins, used here in the US? These MPCs and caseins are added to many processed foods.
What does the label say to identify MPCs and caseins in our foods? It can simply say.....????????? Meanwhile the label says the product was manufactured in the USA.
What is our Food and Drug Administration, FDA, doing to monitor this so the consumer is protected? The FDA has been petitioned to stop the use of imported MPCs in our food supply. So far, there has been little response.
Whoa, how much of these MPCs are we importing? Currently the milk equivalent of imported products is approaching 10% of all US milk production! That's a lot! We dairy farmers would be in much better shape financially, if all the MPCs used here were from United States' dairy farmers.
Do we have enough milk for the needs of our country without imports? Definitely. We produce enough for our population and for export. But, at the rate dairy farmers are being forced out of business, we risk great peril if our US dairy food supply continues to be 'farmed out' over seas.

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