FDA today released a guidance document announcing it will exercise enforcement discretion on the use and labeling of ultrafiltered milk. FDA says its action is intended to lessen the impact of recent trade policy changes in Canada that caused oversupply and pricing challenges in parts of the US, including Wisconsin and New York. We appreciate the administrations continued focus on the Wisconsin dairy industry, said DATCP Secretary Ben Brancel. Todays action will open up US markets to ultrafiltered milk, and thats a huge win for Americas Dairyland. The US dairy industry has for years been asking for clarity and flexibility from FDA on the use of ultrafiltered milk for more than fifteen years. FDAs action provides both. Because a regulatory process was bogged down in Washington, we have not been able to ship ultrafiltered milk domestically, said Brancel. Todays decision opens up endless possibilities for our dairy industry. This past spring, trade policy changes in Canada effectively shut out exports of ultrafiltered milk from Wisconsin. This resulted in 58 Wisconsin producers losing a market for their milk.
