Minnesota Introduces Bill to Ease Raw Milk Restrictions

Amidst increasing crackdowns on the sale of raw milk in many states, some are pushing for legalization. Minnesota is the latest state to consider an easing of restrictions on the sale of this controversial beverage. Raw milk sales are currently legal in Minnesota so long as they are on-farm and direct-to-consumer, but three Republican Senators introduced legislation Thursday that would allow the sale of raw milk in Minnesota farmers' markets as well as through deliveries to consumers and buying clubs.

Advocates are thrilled by this idea. After a crackdown on metropolitan buying clubs, raw milk devotees must drive long distances to buy their milk on the farm itself. Being able to buy at a farmers' market or allowing the farmer to deliver would maintain that face-to-face accountability, but allow for a great deal more flexibility.

Raw milk, in case you were wondering, is milk that has not been pasteurized in order to kill harmful bacteria. Advocates claim that pasteurization also kills beneficial bacteria and enzymes, and that the health benefits these substances bring far outweigh the legal and health risks.

The truth is most likely somewhere in the middle. Neither the health risks nor the health benefits are as extreme as some on each side claim. But it is true that raw milk must be produced under exceptionally sanitary conditions, generally out-ruling factory farms — and this is perhaps the best argument for the beverage.

Already, though, the Minnesota Milk Producers Association (MMPA) is voicing its opposition to the bills, and one Senator, Gary Dahms, has already said he will remove his name from the bill.  Big Dairy has never been a fan of raw milk and the challenge to the commodity milk monopoly it represents. Of course, MMPA claims that its concern is only about safety. Citing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) evidence of illnesses and even two deaths caused by raw milk in the past decade, the group says that any legislation making it easier to buy the product is dangerous.

It seems to me, however, that raw milk producers who make people sick should be treated the same as producers for any other product. The unsafe ones should be prosecuted and the clean ones left alone.

Similar legislation passed both Houses of Congress in neighboring Wisconsin last year only to be vetoed by Governor Jim Doyle. Don't let that happen to Minnesota. Consumers need to be able to make their own decisions about the food they eat. Sign the petition telling Minnesota government officials to pass this bill and ease the restrictions on raw milk.

Photo: Mike Grenville via Flickr