Organic Dairy Farmers Sue State Over Fees
From Times Wire Reports
An organic dairy farm and producer are suing the California Department of Food and Agriculture, saying that state fees imposed on dairy processors are unfair to organic milk producers.
Straus Family Creamery, a family-owned farm in Marshall, and Horizon Organic Holding Corp. of Boulder, Colo., argue in their federal lawsuit that the state is forcing them to subsidize producers of conventional milk. All California dairy producers are required to contribute fees to a pool designed to ensure stable income for milk producers, they said.
The California Milk Stabilization and Pooling Plans don’t take into account the fact that it costs more to produce organic milk, Horizon and Straus said.
