The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and its constituent organizations, the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI), and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA), have been active on agricultural policy issues for decades.

In preparation for the 2007 Farm Bill, IDFA undertook a two-year collaborative, business-minded approach to develop policy recommendations. A Farm Bill Task Force of industry leaders was formed to discuss the future of dairy policy. Advice and counsel from a variety of dairy policy experts and academics was considered. Proposals were reviewed and options were discussed with industry experts, suppliers, and IDFA's producer advisory panel.

Dairy processors work every day with their milk suppliers, industry dairy co-operatives, and independent producers to manufacture and market a wide variety of dairy products to consumers at home and abroad. IDFA and its member companies are committed to working with dairy farmers and Congress on new policies to ensure a healthy dairy industry. Our commitment is reflected in these policy recommendations.

For more information on IDFA's vision for the future, please contact us at dairyreform@healthydairyindustry.org.

IDFA is based in Washington, DC, and represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $90-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. For more information, please visit www.idfa.org.