Raw milk is definitely a fringe issue for most Americans, but it’s fascinating to watch it gain some “mainstream steam”.
Our eyes turn once again to Wisconsin, where Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tim John is leveraging the buzz in his state’s raw milk battle to appeal to voters. From John’s blog:
“Our campaign also supports the legal right of Wisconsin’s dairy farmers to sell raw (unpasteurized) milk and related products. We also support our right to buy these products. Our legislature is moving forward on this matter, so let’s support them.”
This issue has been crackling loudly in Wisconsin’s headlines for several months, and, with a state legislature vote likely to come in the next few weeks, raw milk could soon be legal in the Dairy State.
John obviously thinks he’s throwing in with the winning side (I think he is too). By positioning himself with a fervent base of supporters who aren’t so fringe in Wisconsin, John is also appealing to the general “don’t tell me what to do” libertarian-conservative streak in Wisconsin politics. Not to mention small dairy farmers, who really are a vital part of Wisconsin’s self image (John appeals to the farmer’s bottom line in the YouTube video below). It’s probably safe to say that raw milk legalization also appeals to Milwaukee and Madison liberal foodies, not to mention the alleged odd “Whole Foods Republican.” So it’s a position that has broad political appeal.
I doubt this raw milk positioning will gain John anything beyond the short-term (an April vote on raw milk will seem like the early Jurassic period come the November election), but John seems very serious about this issue. He makes direct appeal to farmers and he’ll be attending the 2nd Annual International Raw Milk Symposium in Madison next weekend according to his campaign wesbite.
Very interesting to watch this “pro-food “and “pro-small farmer” agenda enter a state gubernatorial race.
Every time I say I am NOT the person to ask about raw milk I end up in the fray. I guess maybe my passion about this issue supercedes my silence. The direct farmer impact, once witnessed personally, cements your view.
Raw milk should never, ever be sold to a consumer off the farm.
Ever.
Am I being clear on this?
Here’s why: Consumer A comes to the farm with a small cooler, some glass half gallon jugs, and a smile. She fills her containers from the bulk tank, puts a $20 bill in the glass jar in the milk house, loads her cooler and is one her way. It is a beautiful, warm July day.
Her next stop is WalMart. She shops for her husband’s fishing tackle, buys some organic (?) produce and prepares to check out. She sees Janet, her sister’s babysitter, by the magazine rack and stops for a chat. She eventually makes her way through the check out and loads her goods into the car.
Next stop is the town library, where she runs into Bill, a neighbor near her who is an accountant. They talk about her taxes, her refund, etc. Twenty more mintes expire. She goes into the library, browses through all the new non-fiction, finally decides on a title, and goes to check out her book. The line is four people deep.
She then makes her way home. It’s been 2+ hours since she was at the bulk tank, and the raw milk enters the fridge at 46 degrees. It quickly cools down, but the damage is done. The bacteria has begun to grow, and cooling it down now will not stop the process.
Her entire family (husband, 6 year old son and her 3 year old daughter) consume the milk at dinner. All of them get sick. All of them get hospitalized. The three year old dies.
You can say it won’t happen, but it has. A lot. Two people died in this country last year from ingesting raw milk. Thousands were made illl, hundreds were hospitalized.
You can read more here: http://www.marlerblog.com/2009/03/articles/lawyer-oped/organic-pastures-dairy-e-coli-o157h7-raw-milk-product-outbreak-2006/
Now I am ALL ABOUT the fact the raw milk is better for you. It clearly is. I am also a very liberitarian slanted fella, and I am not about denying people what they want. But this is different.
As a farmer, all your customers will tell you they would never sue if there was a problem. The challenge here is that they will be either very very sick or dead, so that’s not helping you much. We are, for better or worse, a ridiculously litigious society, so you can count on a summons even though you, as the farmer in this scenario, did nothing wrong.
It truly is a different matter for us on the farm because the key to successful raw milk consumption is care and distance to cold storage. We pull raw milk out of the bulk tank and walk 40 paces from the barn to our refrigerators. Consumer can’t do that.
There is no legal agreement strong enough to ensure that consumers and their heirs won’t sue.
If want raw milk, buy some land and get your own cow. Please don’t ask farmers to assume risk that is so far out of their control. We’re having a hard enough time as it is…we really don’t need your families lawyers asking us to depositions.
Please feel free to tell me all the reasons I am wrong about this. I know organic farmers who had gone bankrupt and have been ruined by this very thing. One death is too many.
Best,
Dean Sparks.
I hesitate sparring with you, Dean. I’m a fence-sitter when it comes to raw milk (leaning toward legalizing), and I’m almost persuaded by your arguments.
The one-death-too many argument is the only part of your comment that I disagree with. By your same logic, shouldn’t we outlaw alcohol, tobacco, firearms, fireworks, cars, heavy farm equipment, and matches? I think the risk factor from raw milk is so small (2 deaths all last year?) that it makes drunk driving seem like a walk in the park by comparison.
But the potential damages to small farmers? I think that’s a serious issue. I’d love to hear about whether potential lawsuits worry farmers who sell raw milk.
There are many proponents of raw milk sales out there that are jumping at the chance to sell raw milk…..but there are others who are very concerned about the liabilities they assume in doing so. We shall see…as I said before, one death is too many….especially if it happens as a result of something on my farm.
Thanks but no thanks.
Dean.
Proponents seem to demand the right for this food against fairly strong barriers, but it must be a very, very small number of people (and farms)
I do believe it possesses a unique nutritional profile, but I don’t think I’d take advantage of it, even if it became conveniently stocked on the local shelf.
I struggle with the idea of food safety & where the lines should be. Seems we have triple washed spinach that can still colonize to dangerous levels, given enough time.
Aside from the actual illness or death, no one wants that to happen, it would seem the risk is small. It’s also said that this risk can’t be insured, or can’t be insured at a manageable price. Therefore, the farm risks all if something happens.
That seems strange compared to everything we can insure that seems higher risk. I’d be interested in comments from insurers on this question too.
(Our local rawmilk cowshare has responded to their injunction with a “not for human consumption” label. Taking the position that they are contracted to deliver the shareholders their property, “hazardous” or not)
James
yourlocalfoods
Dear Anonymous,
Where are the two deaths you talked about in the Bill Marler link??? I only saw two people sick.
Four people died from Pasteurized milk in 2008 in Mass.
http://www.marlerblog.com/2008/01/articles/legal-cases/4-people-dead-after-drinking-listerialaden-pasteurized-milk-from-massachusetts/
I’ve been drinking raw milk for 2 years – all throughout my pregnancy and now my son (5 months old) drinks it in place of formula (as we were never able to make breastfeeding work and formula disgusts me.) He is healthy, robust, and thriving.
No one speaks about the number of people who’ve gotten sick from industrialized food – pasteured milk from industrial farms, meat, um… SPINACH? Yet they continue with business as usual. Why? (And yes, a rather large number of people have gotten sick from pasteurized milk.)
If there is, indeed, a safety issue then the answer is to stress safety. However, I have every right to make the choice to eat sushi, tuna or steak tartare, etc… Why not milk? It’s the same thing. I have the right to make that choice for myself.
People should be smarter then. Put some ice in the cooler and don’t do so many errands.