PRINTER'S NO. 3224
No. 413 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY BUNT, CAPPABIANCA, MAJOR, GRUCELA, ARMSTRONG,
BELARDI, BELFANTI, CALTAGIRONE, CHADWICK, CLARK, CLYMER,
COSTA, COY, DALEY, DeWEESE, FAIRCHILD, FARGO, FEESE, FICHTER,
FLEAGLE, FORCIER, GEORGE, GIGLIOTTI, GORDNER, HALUSKA,
HARHAI, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, HUTCHINSON, LEDERER, LEH,
LUCYK, LYNCH, MAITLAND, MASLAND, McCALL, MELIO, NAILOR, ORIE,
PESCI, PETRARCA, PETRONE, PHILLIPS, RAMOS, ROSS, RUBLEY,
SATHER, SCHULER, SEMMEL, SEYFERT, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
STERN, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TIGUE, WILT, WOJNAROSKI,
ZIMMERMAN, BAKER, PLATTS, TANGRETTI, SAYLOR, TULLI AND
B. SMITH, MARCH 21, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS,
MARCH 21, 2000
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Memorializing Congress and the United States Department of
2 Agriculture to authorize Pennsylvania's entry into the
3 Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact and to establish fair milk
4 pricing.
5 WHEREAS, Agriculture is the number one industry in this
6 Commonwealth; and
7 WHEREAS, Dairy is the largest of the agricultural sectors,
8 with nearly 10,000 dairy farms and 623,000 cows, producing
9 nearly 11 billion pounds of milk annually; and
10 WHEREAS, The sale of milk represents approximately 38% of all
11 agricultural product sales in this Commonwealth; and
12 WHEREAS, The price received for milk by producers in this
13 Commonwealth is the lowest since 1978 and is significantly below
14 the cost of production; and
1 WHEREAS, The price producers in this Commonwealth receive for
2 milk is determined largely by a Federal formula based on supply
3 and demand for milk components used for manufacturing purposes,
4 and these factors have no direct relationship to economic
5 factors affecting the demand for or the cost of producing milk
6 in this Commonwealth; and
7 WHEREAS, This price has been reduced by substantial
8 production increases in other parts of the United States while
9 total production in this Commonwealth has remained stable; and
10 WHEREAS, This situation has put the entire dairy industry of
11 this Commonwealth at risk of economic ruin; and
12 WHEREAS, The Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact is authorized
13 by the Congress of the United States to set a fair price for
14 milk in member states independent of the Federal formula price
15 and has, therefore, stabilized the dairy industry in member
16 states; and
17 WHEREAS, The General Assembly, with passage of the act of
18 June 25, 1999 (P.L.187, No.26), known as the Northeast
19 Interstate Dairy Compact Law, requested of Congress that
20 Pennsylvania be added as a member of the Northeast Interstate
21 Dairy Compact; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the General Assembly
23 of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania memorialize Congress to
24 immediately authorize the entry of Pennsylvania and of other
25 states of the northeastern United States having desire to do so,
26 into the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly memorialize Congress and
28 the United States Department of Agriculture to develop a system
29 of pricing and marketing milk which is equitable to each region
30 of the country, will not be unduly impacted by variations in
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1 production in any one region of the country and will ensure the
2 stability of production in all regions; and be it further
3 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
4 the presiding officers of each house of Congress and to each
5 member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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