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Iowa bill to allow raw milk sales takes first step

A bill that would allow Iowa dairy farmers to sell raw milk from their farms has taken a first step forward in the Iowa legislature. Currently, it is illegal to sell raw milk in Iowa, but this measure would allow consumers to buy it straight from the farmer. Current state law forbids the sale of milk that has not been pasteurized and Iowa’s dairy industry supports the current law. Mark Truesdell, a lobbyist for the Iowa Dairy Foods Association, says to allow the sale of raw milk would be going in the wrong direction.

“In the 1930s, pasteurization developed as a movement by public minded people who saw illnesses being spread by milk,” says Truesdell.

A three-member panel in the Iowa House has approved the raw milk bill which now awaits consideration in the House Judiciary Committee. Francis Thicke, a dairy farmer from Fairfield, says the benefits of raw milk outweigh the risks.

“I see this, really, as economic development. We’re really limiting this grassroots economic development out in the rural areas by not allowing some raw milk sales. And, frankly, consumers are asking for it,” Thicke.

Thicke, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for Iowa Ag Secretary in 2010, cited studies that indicate children in Europe who drink raw milk are less likely to suffer from asthma or hay fever.

While the federal government prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines, 30 states allow the sale of raw milk within their borders. Wisconsin has effectively banned the sale of raw milk from dairy farms there, but the neighboring states of Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois ALL allow dairy farmers to sell raw milk to residents in the same state.

The Centers for Disease Control warns raw milk can contain bacteria and pathogens that can cause serious illness or death. Raw milk proponents say pasteurization kills beneficial bacteria and stunts the taste of milk. Two weeks ago, nearly 40 people in four states were diagnosed with an intestinal illness that was traced to raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm.

Brownfield’s Bob Meyer says, “Of the 30 states which allow raw milk sales, 13 allow sales only on the farm where it was produced, 12 allow sales at retail stores separate from the farm and five, Oregon, Missouri, Colorado, South Dakota and Vermont, have laws unique to them.  Also, raw milk bills are pending in Wisconsin, Indiana and New Jersey.

Radio Iowa contributed to this report