Raw Milk Update

Looks like we won’t be buying raw milk in Maryland this year.  HB147 was voted down in the HGO committee by a vote of 9 to 11.  It was close.  Many of our elected officials took the time to listen to Maryland farmers and consumers.

Take a moment to thank them for their vote.  You can find a list of committee members who supported HB147 at http://www.micfa.net.  Click on the “Action Alerts” link.  Please thank Delegate Nic Kipke for sponsoring the bill.

There’s always next year!

While Maryland won’t be drinking a toast with raw milk, California will. On March 20, 2008, California granted a temporary restraining order against the enforcement of AB 1735, which calls for a strict coliform limit of 10 per ml or under in bottled raw milk. Coliforms are beneficial bacteria found in raw milk. This very low limit would put many raw milk dairies out of business. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for April 25th to determine whether the temporary stay should remain in effect until the parties actually go to trial, which could be later this year.

Taaron Meikle, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, said:

This is a huge win for raw dairy consumers in the State of California. With this ruling, consumers can continue to enjoy the health benefits of raw dairy. We are pleased with Judge Tobias’ ruling and hope the stay remains in effect after the April 25th hearing.

This is the latest on the raw milk front. If you have any news to add, post a comment.

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.