Michael Dykes, D.V.M., President and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association, released the following statement today to congratulate Congressman Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson on his election as Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee:

“The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) congratulates Congressman GT Thompson on his election as Republican Leader of the House Agriculture Committee. Given his personal background in the dairy industry and leadership on issues important to our industry, we look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Thompson and other members of the Committee in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that all of our nation’s nutrition programs are designed to encourage consumption of healthy and nutritious dairy products. Only one in ten Americans consumes the three servings of dairy a day recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, so there is much work that we can do together to make sure all Americans are getting the unique nutritional benefits that dairy provides. As a senior member of the House Education and Labor Committee, Congressman Thompson has led efforts to ensure that school children have access to milk that is both healthy and tastes good. We also appreciate his support for a pilot program that was included in the 2018 Farm Bill that is looking at innovative ways to encourage SNAP beneficiaries to consume more milk, helping to support a healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of disease. We look forward to news from the House Democrats about the Chair of the House Agriculture Committee soon.”