For immediate release: Jan. 27, 2000
MONTPELIER, VT -- The Northeast Dairy Compact Commission is proposing changes to the over-order price regulation to bring it in line with recent Federal Milk Market Order reforms.
While these changes are significant for farmers and processors, no changes are proposed for the over-order price: the number that determines how much money farmers receive for their milk.
A public hearing on these changes will be held Feb. 2, 2000 at the Centennial Inn in Concord, NH. The Commission will accept written testimony through Feb. 16, 2000.
Most of the proposed changes have to do with the dates the Commission makes announcements and issues payments. If these proposals are approved, the Commission will post on its web site, www.dairycompact.org, these announcements on the new dates.
The proposed changes are:
o To make the announcement of the over-order obligation on the 23rd of each month instead of the 5th.
o To issue statements to handlers on the 13th instead of the 15th.
o To have Handlers make payments into the producer-settlement fund on the 15th instead of the 18th.
o To issue payments from the producer-settlement fund on the 16th instead of the 20th.
o That if one of these dates lands on a holiday or weekend, the due date will be the next business day.
o To include milk brokers in the definition for handler
o To switch the definition for producer-handler exemption from 300 quarts per day to 150,000 pounds per month.
o To classify Egg Nog as a Class 1 product, instead of class 4.
o To make consistent descriptive terms for various products, such as skim milk.
o To include federations of cooperatives in the definition of cooperative association.
o To make the Class 1 price for Suffolk County, Massachusetts the reference to the federal price.
o To put charges on overdue accounts into the administrative assessment fund, instead if the producer settlement fund.
o To make the definition of the time-frame for qualification read every December since 1996, instead of changing the rule each year to name the previous year.
With the exception of the last two items, these changes reflect changes in the Federal Milk Market Order that went into effect on
Jan. 1, 2000. The intent is to make the Northeast Dairy Compact consistent with the Federal Milk Market Order.
If you have any questions about issues related to the Northeast Dairy Compact, please call David Ferch at (802) 229-1941 or by email dferch@dairycompact.org.