Your business decision to terminate organic milk contracts with a large number of Northeast organic dairies flies in the face of what you say you stand for. It is especially duplicitous as you continue to buy milk from “organic” Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) that contribute to the organic milk glut, undermine the integrity of the organic label, and drive pay prices below the cost of milk production for the majority of organic dairy farms.

In Maine, many of the 14 dairy farms impacted by Danone’s decision have been dedicated producers for Horizon for years. Horizon has grown its business and share of the organic market in Maine due to the efforts of our producers.

The organic farm families you are ending contracts with help to sustain local veterinarians, feed and farm suppliers, schools, hospitals, tax base, and downtown businesses. This mass termination will have a profound and negative impact on local economies, community resilience, and the local environment.

We ask that Danone North America take the following steps to protect the farm families and local communities that rely on these contractual relationships for their survival:

1. Reconsider exiting from ME, VT, NH, and NY. Fluid milk production is important to the food security of the Northeast, and already the region’s demand far outweighs its supply. Danone has invested millions into other Northeast plant-based milk facilities in the past few years and we ask that you also invest in the farm families that have given your company so much over the years. Come to the table to find a solution that allows you to stay.

2. Extend the date of the contract termination to 18 months (rather than the 12 months currently offered). As each individual farm family works on plans for their future, they need more lead time to find other markets, seek debt relief, or otherwise plan a transition that works for them.

3. Offer a contract severance package or contract retirement package bonus to the affected Northeast dairies in recognition of their long-time relationship with the company and their willingness to commit to the capital-intensive production of high-quality organic milk that established the reputation of Horizon Organic. Each organic farm will suffer the loss of planned income, and each will have expenses outside their normal personal and business budgets because of Danone’s actions.

4. Make a substantial monetary donation to the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center to support farms across the region impacted by Danone’s decision, so they can obtain grants for business planning, explore new markets, and/or access funds for potential infrastructure to meet new market opportunities.

5. Make a substantial leading pledge to the nascent company in Maine that will soon be launching a fundraising phase to stand up in-state organic dairy processing.

6. Commit to paying our producers their premium payments in this final year contract and make that intention explicit in the new contracts; likewise, compensate farmers for premium payments that have not received in their most recent contract.

Danone’s decision to let go of 89 farms across the Northeast is not only going to be a direct financial and emotional loss for those producers, but also a huge loss for American agriculture and the myriad benefits that dairy farms bring to rural communities and the food economy.

Sincerely,

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