2016 National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments

The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) is a non-profit educational organization composed of state, local and federal regulatory officials responsible for milk sanitation rating and enforcement of Grade A milk sanitation laws, dairy industry personnel, academic researchers and advisors and consumers. The Conference meets biennially in odd-numbered years, the next meeting being April 24 – 29, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Portland in Portland, Oregon. The primary business of the Conference is to deliberate proposals submitted by individuals from various regulatory agencies and from industry, who have an interest in ensuring that the dairy products available for sale and consumed throughout the United States are safe. The mission of the NCIMS is “To Assure the Safest Possible Milk Supply for All the People.” An Executive Board comprised of sixteen individuals from state and local milk regulatory agencies and dairy-related industries, one representative from the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Food and Drug Administration, one representative from the Unites States Department of Agriculture govern the NCIMS. At the Conference, delegates from each of the fifty states and one United States Trust Territory that participate in the Interstate Milk Shippers program send a delegate to make final decisions on the various proposals that are submitted. These decisions impact all regulations pertaining to interstate shipments of milk and milk products; impact the milk regulatory programs in each of the states and ultimately impact the safety of milk and milk products produced and distributed under these regulatory requirements. Therefore, it is very important that all states be represented. Due to financial constraints, some states have not been able to send a voting delegate to the Conference in previous years. The grant will allow NCIMS to assist those states in sending a delegate to the 2015 Conference. Funds from the grant will be used to pay travel expenses, lodging, and per diem, for the 2015 Conference for some states who apply and otherwise might not be able to attend and participate in the conference.