DAVIS --The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, directed by UC Davis veterinarian Michael Payne, recently received California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor: the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in the category of Environmental and Economic Partnerships.

The award recognizes exceptional leadership in building public-private collaborations that help conserve California's resources, and protect and enhance the environment.

"California's dairy industry is the most heavily regulated in the country," says Payne. "Nowhere else are monitoring and reporting requirements for water quality more comprehensive than in the Central Valley. California dairies also face the strictest regulations in the nation for control of dust and air emissions."

The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program, established in 1997, is a voluntary program that provides education, resources and funding for the state's 2,000 dairy producers in many areas, including environmental stewardship, Johne's disease control, food safety and emergency preparedness, and animal welfare.

The program offers classroom and on-the-farm assistance to help dairy producers meet regional, state and federal environmental regulations. It is a partnership between 17 regulatory agencies, dairy organizations, environmental advocacy groups and the University of California.

During the past decade, some 2,400 producers or dairy advisers have attended one or more of the program's classes. To date, 256 dairies also have successfully completed third-party, on-the-farm environmental compliance audits through the program.