Nearly 90 organic dairy farms in the Northeast, including 28 in
Danone, parent company of Horizon Organic, notified farmers last week, including a total of 61 in
“We greatly value our relationships with our farming partners and did not make this decision lightly,”
The company told
It’s devastating to these farm families but also has implications for the state economically and the organic dairy industry in
It will be a challenge for the 28 Vermont organic farms to find another buyer because “the organic market currently is not in a position to take on more milk or farmers,” Tebbetts said. Currently, there are three other buyers getting organic milk from
“Not having a buyer for your milk is a really severe position to be in for these farmers,” Kempner said. “So we’re doing our best to make sure we’re seeking solutions for alternative markets for their milk but also make sure the farmers feel as individually supported as possible.”
NOFA-VT is part of a task force aimed at saving the farms that the
Danone’s decision to end its contracts in the region is another hit to the overall dairy industry in
“Over the years some operations have used a lack of specificity in the rule to continually transition conventional animals in and out of organic production. This undercuts dairy farmers who operate with integrity,” according to the
“Organic farming is facing the same crisis we’ve seen in conventional agriculture – consolidation, industrialization, ‘get big or get out,’” he said. “It will take a lot of people working together to solve it, but we all must be bold enough to believe we can.”
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