Schumer sounds alarm on national milk carton shortage; calls for USDA support towards North Country and New York dairy farmers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take action on the national milk carton shortage hitting dairy farmers and schools in New York and states across the country.

“The USDA is uniquely positioned to investigate this problem from a national level and work with the dairy industry, our farmers, and schools to mitigate the impacts of shortages and propose solutions,” the Senator said.

There’s no shortage of milk, but rather a “supply chain problem” with the cardboard cartons, consequently inhibiting suppliers’ ability to provide milk to schools and other customers in NYS and across the country, Schumer claims.

Schumer emphasized that New York State is home to more than 3,200 dairy farms and is the country’s fifth largest dairy state, producing 15.66 billion pounds of milk in 2022.

His office says the dairy industry is a driver of significant economic impact in New York and is also a large part of the state’s culture.

He said it is vital that we protect this critical industry and ensure it has the support it needs to weather these disruptions until the supply chain recalibrates.

Schumer urged the USDA to not only ensure NY dairy farmers have the technical support they need to get through the shortage, but also to work with industry leaders to devise creative solutions to get milk to our school lunchrooms and to investigate the shortage to stop disruptions like this from happening in the future and minimize downstream impacts.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer image.