Karen Thurman: “I cannot support the dairy title of this bill, for one major reason: It is going to drain income unnecessarily from my…”

“I cannot support the dairy title of this bill, for one major reason: It is going to drain income unnecessarily from my region. That is why I am supporting the Solomon-Dooley amendment. Dairy farmers in Florida are hurt by the Class 1 pool. The result, income will be shifted from Florida dairy farmers to other regions. In addition, Florida consumers are hurt in two ways. The general consumer is hurt by the requirement for added solids. This requirement will increase the cost of fluid milk in those regions that will have to import the solids to add to local milk. That added cost will be passed on to consumers. Whether it is 40 cents a gallon or 40 cents a week is not important. What is important is that these price increases are not necessary. ... The only alternative before us today is the Solomon-Dooley amendment. It hurts neither the dairy farmer nor the milk consumer. Join me in supporting this sensible alternative.”