HARRISBURG – A legislative measure easing the regulatory burden on dairy haulers was unanimously approved today by the state Senate Transportation Committee, according to the bill’s prime sponsor Senator Gene Yaw (R-23).
Senate Bill 1010 would allow a hauler of skim, condensed and evaporated milk, to obtain a permit from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) for the movement of milk to other states. Permits and designated routes would need to be approved and authorized by PennDOT. Raw milk haulers already have a similar permit requirement.
Currently, Pennsylvania dairy operations can only ship milk in 80,000lb increments, compared to surrounding states such as New York, where 95,000lbs is legal, which results in disadvantages for our Pennsylvania businesses and farms. The weight differential between states forces Pennsylvania dairy operations to put out the bid with smaller loads, requiring the customer to unload more trucks and pay higher hauling costs.
“As an example, for every 100 loads of milk a New York dairy supplies to the market, Pennsylvania dairies have to supply 135 loads to deliver the same quantity,” Yaw said. “Ultimately, this hurts our Pennsylvania dairy industry. This is clearly evident by the number of yogurt production facilities that have located to New York State in recent years creating hundreds of jobs and investing millions into their economy.”
“As a 4th generation dairy farmer, it’s increasingly difficult to sustain our family farm on a milk check, so it’s more important than ever to increase efficiencies and stay on par with surrounding states regulations and allow our dairy producers to compete,” said State Senator Elder Vogel, Jr., who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. “I am happy to see Senator Yaw take the lead on this issue on behalf of our state’s dairy farmers.”
Cosponsors of Senate Bill 1010 include: Elder Vogel (R-47), Judith Schwank (D-11), John Rafferty (R-44), Lisa Baker (R-20) Lisa Boscola (D-18), Mike Folmer (R-48), Robert Robbins (R-50), Michael Waugh (R-28), Donald White (R-41) and Scott Hutchinson (R-21).
Contact: Rita Zielonis
(717) 787-3280