Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I,Ref-Schoharie) and state Senate candidates Mike Martucci and Peter Oberacker, today took exception to comments made by actress Edie Falco demanding Gov. Cuomo abandon New York’s dairy farmers and ignore requests for recovery aid, calling the dairy industry “rife with disease and cruelty.”

"I call on the governor, Commissioner Ball, Secretary Hooker, Assemblywoman Lupardo and Sen. Metzger to immediately disavow her heartless statements and instead promote and support legislation to allow only REAL milk from a lactating mammal to be marketed as milk or milk products in New York state” said Tague. “Ms Falco should do us all a favor and stick to acting and not give us a lecture or ignorant rhetoric on nutrition or dairy farming."

“As someone who has farmed and has family in farming, I find these statements to be not only absolutely ridiculous, but downright disturbing,” said Oberacker. “Right now, our farmers need help, not lectures from out-of-touch Hollywood actors. I will be a strong voice for our farmers and assure people all across the state know the difference between a dairy product and a nut.”

“As our farmers take the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing they need is to be attacked by these thoughtless and reckless comments,” said Martucci. “Maybe the answer is for Albany to focus more on support and recovery for our farmers and less on corporate bailouts for Hollywood actors.”

The statements come in response to a NY Daily News opinion piece written by Falco and can be found here.