Today, Assembly Republican Whip, Devon J. Mathis (R-Porterville), announced that Governor Newsom signed his bill, Assembly Bill (AB) 425, into law. This bill builds upon AB 590 from 2019, which was an earlier legislative success of the Assemblyman’s, and strengthens California’s dairy industry by providing much needed clarity and objective standards for milk costs and production protocol.
“I am extremely proud and pleased to have been able to support our hard-working and dedicated dairy producers and handlers by successfully getting AB 425 to the Governor’s desk,” said Mathis. “The dairy industry is a vital part of our State’s economy, and now due to AB 425 the Dairy Council of California no longer contains outdated regulations regarding definitions, assessments, fees and funding mechanisms. Importantly, AB 425 has also established crucial safeguards to protect our dairy industry from unlawful or predatory practices which undermine the dairy marketplace and are harmful to the consumer.”
AB 425 was a collaborative effort with the Dairy Institute of California and those within the industry, and the bill received unanimous, bipartisan support throughout the entire legislative process.
“AB 425 provides important clarifications necessary to ensure that laws governing the state’s dairy industry are not open to debate or legal uncertainty, allowing dairy farmers and processors to focus on their primary task of providing essential foods to California’s citizens,” said William Schiek, Executive Director of The Dairy Institute of California. The “Dairy Institute and its member companies thank the Legislature and the Governor for passing and signing this important legislation”
“As elected officials and legislators we have a responsibility and obligation to ensure that we do all that can be done to represent and support our State’s agriculture and dairy industries” said Mathis. “I look forward to continuing my work with our agricultural and dairy workers to protect and provide them with every opportunity to continue to grow and flourish during these uncertain and challenging times.”
