The April meeting was held in Montpelier, Vermont. Not surprisingly, given the long-term, active sponsorship of the Compact by the state’s governors and Vermont Congressional delegation, the meeting was dominated by the personal participation of these political leaders. Senator James Jeffords (attachment 7), Congressman Bernard Sanders (attachment 8) and Vermont Governor Howard Dean (attachment 9) each gave speeches, along with Ed Baron, Senator Patrick Leahy’s aide who has been assigned to the Compact for most of its history in Congress.
Reflecting the common view of many of his colleagues in the region’s political leadership, Governor Howard Dean focused on the success of the Compact to date:
It is a unique approach. It has been put together by the states at no cost to taxpayers, which makes a huge contribution towards fixing a problem the government couldn’t fix. It’s working well, it’s not perfect but it really makes a difference. Many millions of dollars have been returned to farmers. This year we figured the Compact made an average of 91 cents difference per hundredweight contribution. That’s not six brand new tractors, but it can make the difference between making a decent living and going out of business. I think the average return was something like $15,000. Well, that’s a big difference, especially when you’re really struggling. (attachment 9-2l)
Senator Jeffords took the opportunity to compliment the newly launched Supply Management Program, stating:
I
am pleased by the Commission’s ability to reach a consensus on the development
and administration of the Supply Management Program. I firmly believe that
supply management must be included to ensure that regulation of the marketplace
does not prompt excessive levels of production. This in turn helps reduce milk
price volatility. (Attachment
7-2h)
Congressman Sanders provided a somewhat broader, regional and national perspective. He expressed his strong concern that a failure to reauthorize the Dairy Compact would lead to a breach in food security, stating,
I care. And I’ll tell you why I care. Because I think the issue of food security in this nation is in fact an issue of national security. And I recall last year Governor Celucci made an excellent point in defending the proposal. And he said that for the city of Boston, which I gather does not have too many family farms, it is important that family farms in this region remain alive so that you will continue to have access to milk. And that’s true for Providence, and that in fact is true for every city in the United States of America.(Attachment 8-2k)
The meeting also included a presentation of the partial first draft of the Commission’s Impact Report, setting the tone for the focus of subsequent meetings on the price regulation’s impact in the states.