Following the release of its joint Milk Crisis Plan with the International Dairy Foods Association earlier this week, the National Milk Producers Federation has began a social-media campaign geared toward dairy farmers and their allies, #dairyneverstops, to underscore the urgency in dairy country for a federal plan that can mitigate catastrophic economic damage that is expected to worsen for producers over the next several months, as the coronavirus-created recession bites more deeply.
“#dairyneverstops is both a nod to the unique difficulties dairy farmers face as producers of a perishable product that’s created 24/7, 365 days a year and to the resilience of those farmers in the face of overwhelming economic difficulties,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “The support of retail consumers who have turned to milk in grocery aisles in recent weeks has been incredible. But even this sales surge is not enough to offset the near-evaporation of dairy demand from the foodservice sector. As milk continues to be produced with fewer buyers to purchase it, dairy farmers face significant revenue losses, which come on top of a half-decade of low prices that only recently had seen recovery.”
Farmers, other segments of the dairy sector, and their allies in broader communities are all encouraged to use the hashtag to share their stories, engage in discussion and create a greater awareness of dairy’s circumstances for policymakers in Washington and across the United States.
Source: National Milk Producers Federation