INDIANAPOLIS — A summer committee will study whether Indiana should allow the sale of raw, unpasteurized milk for human consumption under legislation a Senate committee passed Monday.
In the meantime, House Bill 1129 would impose stricter requirements on raw milk sold as pet food. Farmers would be required to prominently label that milk as “not for human consumption.”
Experts told the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee that raw milk has been showing up in the past few years at farmers’ markets, despite a law prohibiting its sale for human consumption. It is often sold as pet food but purchased for other reasons.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in people interested in buying and selling the product over the last several years,” said Gary Haynes, director of legal affairs for the State Board of Animal Health. “There’s a greater interest in farmers selling it. There’s also a greater interest in consumers consuming it.”
HB 1129 now moves to the full Senate for consideration.Earlier this year, the Senate voted to legalize the sale of raw milk. But the author pulled the bill from consideration when the Indiana Farm Bureau and other critics raised health questions about unpasteurized milk and said the proposal had not been adequately studied.
Bob Kraft, the director of state government relations for the Indiana Farm Bureau, said Monday that his group now supports the legislation. He said members will later look at the results of the study to decide whether to change the group’s position against the sale of raw milk.
“Obviously, we’re concerned about the health of those who consume and the liability” of those who produce raw milk, Kraft said.
More than two-dozen other states allow the sale of raw milk for human consumption in some way, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits its sale across state lines. The FDA also urges against human consumption of milk that has not been unpasteurized, which means it has undergone a process that kills bacteria by heating the milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time.
The agency says that milk that has not been pasteurized can contain dangerous microorganisms that can make individuals ill. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 800 people in the United States have become sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk since 1998.
But Sen. Richard Young, D-Milltown, said people in rural areas have been purchasing and consuming raw milk for years with no problems.
“I’ve bought it myself,” Young said.
John Baugh, director of agricultural services and regulations at Purdue University, said raw milk has recently become more common and more available to people who may be less educated about its risks — and may not understand that currently it’s legal only as pet food. That’s why state officials were seeking to increase the requirements that raw milk for be adequately labeled so that customers understand it is not for human consumption.
“We’re trying to make it extremely clear,” Baugh said.
Currently, 10 states allow retail sales of raw milk, while 15 others allow on-farm sales and four allow raw milk for pet food, according to A Campaign for Real Milk, which is a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. The group advocates for the sale of raw milk and a ban on the use of soy formula for infants.
Lesley Weidenbener is the managing editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
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Letter from State Senator Vi Simpson to her constituents
Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on Senate Bill 398, state chemist issues, particularly the amendment that would have allowed milk producers to sell raw milk to consumers. I truly appreciate your concerns regarding this matter.
As a strong advocate for freedom of choice and the agricultural community, I supported the amendment establishing the on-farm sale of raw milk. This amendment passed 30-20 in the Senate. Unfortunately, the author of the Senate Bill 398 did not call the bill for a final vote on the floor of the Indiana Senate before the legislative deadline. Therefore this bill is dead for this session.
Again, thank you for contacting me to express your opinion on Senate Bill 398. Please continue to keep me informed on matters of interest to you.
Sincerely,
Vi Simpson, State Senator, District 40
