U.S. Capitalists Are Dumping Rivers of Milk - Left Voice

Julian Zelizer : Dairy is not being dumped because there is a lack of people who need food.

By closing schools, restaurants, hotels, and other big milk purchasers, the pandemic has thrown the production chain into chaos, he says.

The price of raw milk has fallen suddenly, in some cases from $18 to $13 per hundred pounds, Zelizer says.

Capital views having “extra” supplies or extra productive capacity as wasteful if it is not expected to generate profit.

Capital does not want to pay to operate enough food production plants under these conditions to use all the milk that exists.

Over the last decade , the U.S. dairy industry increased milk output by 13% but 43 million gallons of unsold milk was dumped in 2016 .

To deal with both food waste and hunger, we should demand that all foodstuffs be put to use.

This means guaranteeing food for all regardless of ability to pay.

The question is: Who will pay? Right now supposedly many milk, cheese, and butter plants cannot run.

The $2 trillion CARES rescue act includes a provision giving $70 billion to 43,000 business owners.