Stateside dairy association urges governor to veto UHT-related bill
The International Dairy Foods Association has sent a letter to Gov. Luis Fortuño urging him to oppose a bill currently in line for a vote at the Legislature that would would ban marketing, distributing and selling Ultra High Temperature milk that arrives to local warehouses 30 or more days after being manufactured.
In its letter dated April 18, the IDFA, which represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110-billion a year industry, said the bill is “without merit.”
“The basis for the proposed legislation, which is that the quality of the UHT milk decreases as a result of the ultra-pasteurization process, is without merit. The shelf life of UHT products is considerably longer than one month, during which time the product retains its nutritional value,” the trade group told the governor.
Senate Bill 1237 was submitted in November and did not go through a public hearings process, going through an executive meeting of the House Agriculture Committee instead. On April 1, the bill was referred to the Rules and Calendar committee for debate.
“If [Senate Bill 1237] were to pass, it would put Puerto Rico out of compliance with the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments of which it is a signatory,” the IFDA said.
Puerto Rico produces and consumes millions of gallons of UHT milk a year.
