§ 258-P — Declaration of policy

§ 258-p. Declaration of policy. It is hereby declared: that the milk\nindustry is a paramount agricultural activity of this state and of the\nnortheast in a region comprising the New England states and the Middle\nAtlantic states and is a business affecting the public health and\nwelfare of the inhabitants of this state and of the northeast; that the\nproduction and marketing of milk of the dairy farms of this state and of\nstates in the northeast region is of vast economic importance to the\nstate and to the region; that compliance with reasonable requirements\nfor the production and marketing of a safe and high quality milk supply\nis a matter of great importance both to the welfare of the dairy farmers\nof this state and the northeast, and the health and welfare of the\nconsumers of milk and dairy products; that the production conditions in\nthe northeast including the climate, topography and soils are about the\nsame but marketing conditions are unique as compared to the remainder of\nthe United States in that practically all of the milk in the northeast\nis produced for fluid markets because of the concentration of\npopulation. The natural marketing area, under present conditions of\nproduction and marketing, lies within the boundaries of the eleven\ndifferent states with widely different laws and regulations which govern\nthe economic climate and sanitary conditions under which milk and dairy\nproducts are marketed. Artificial barriers have contributed\nsignificantly to the loss of competitive position by New York and other\nNortheastern states. The market share held by milk producers in the\nregion has declined. The marketing system for milk and dairy products in\nthe northeast has been and still is badly fragmented. Assembly,\nadministration, operating and sales costs are excessively high.\nCooperative membership is below that in most areas of the country.\nCompetition from other regions of the country will increase. A common\nmarketing area in the northeast is necessary for a prosperous and\ngrowing dairy industry and it is in the best interest of consumers. It\nis therefore essential that there be uniformity of laws and regulations\ngoverning the production, processing and marketing of milk and dairy\nproducts in the northeast. The lack of uniformity of laws and\nregulations involving inspection of farms and plants, labeling of dairy\nproducts and their imitations, standards for dairy products, licensing\nof milk dealers and the terms of milk market orders have been a serious\ndeterrent to expanding markets for northeast dairy products and costly\nto consumers.\n