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Congressional authorization for the Northeast Dairy Compact has expired. The Commission is no longer doing business. 
People with questions may call 802-229-1941

     
    The Northeast Dairy Compact was established in an effort to restore the authority of the six New England states to set prices for Class 1 fluid milk sold in the region. Recognizing the regional character of the northeast dairy industry, the Compact serves several major functions. These functions include assuring the region of an adequate supply of milk, recognizing the cultural and economic benefits of a viable dairy industry in the region and facilitating the Constitutional rights of individual states to act collectively in order to regulate milk prices.
     

    Adequate Milk Supply
     

    The mission of the Compact Commission, the governing entity established to implement the Compact, is to take such steps as are necessary to assure the continued viability of dairy farming in the northeast and to provide consumers with an adequate, local supply of fresh milk.
     

    The participating states resolved that the dairy industry is the paramount agricultural activity of the northeast. Dairy farms, and associated suppliers, marketers, processors and retailers are each an integral part of the region's economy. Their ability to provide a stable, local supply of milk is a matter of importance to the health and welfare of the region.
     
     

    Cultural and Economic Benefits

    States in the Compact region have found that dairy farming is essential to the region's rural communities and character. The farms preserve open spaces, sculpt the landscape and provide a base for a diversity of recreational pursuits. In defining the rural character of our communities and landscape, dairy farms also provide a major draw for the regional tourist industry.
     
     

    Regulating Milk Prices for the Public Interest
     

    The participating states concluded that their ability to control the price that dairy farmers in the region receive for their product is essential to the public interest. Assurance of a fair and equitable price for dairy farmers ensures their ability to provide milk to the market as well as encouraging the vitality of the northeast economy and preserving open spaces.


    The Northeast Dairy Compact Commission
    64 Main Street, Room 21
    Montpelier, VT 05602

    phone: (802) 229-1941 fax: (802) 229-2028