On April 12 Arkansas Governor Mike Beebee signed into law HB 1536, a bill allowing the “incidental sale” of raw milk. Under the new law, producers can sell at the farm where produced an “average monthly number” of up to 500 gallons of either raw goat milk or raw cow’s milk or a combination of the two not exceeding that figure; prior law only allowed producers to sell an average monthly total of 100 gallons of goat milk on the producer’s premises.

The requirements for producers under the new law are few. The raw milk sold must contain at least 3.25 percent butterfat and at least 8.25 percent solids (not fat), and be “practically colostrum free.” The producer must post a sign at the point of sale containing the name and address of the farm along with the following statement: “This product, sold for personal use and not for resale is fresh whole milk that has NOT been pasteurized. Neither this farm nor the milk sold by this farm has been inspected by the State of Arkansas. The consumer assumes all liability for health issues that may result from the consumption of this product.”

HB 1536 also had a provision requiring the container of milk have a label with the name and address of the farm along with the exact same statement mandated for the sign. The only other requirement for producers was to “permit inspection of his or her cows and barns by his or her customers on request.”

The bill took an unusual route towards passage. The Arkansas Agriculture Committee voted down an earlier version of the bill on March 15; that version gave the State Board of Health power to make rules governing raw milk producers including the authority to inspect producers’ facilities. The bill’s sponsor, first term Representative Randy Alexander, stripped the Board of Health’s power from the bill and asked for and received another shot at getting the bill out of the House Ag Committee. The committee voted to send the bill to the House floor on April 5; one week later the bill was on the governor’s desk.

In discussing the bill before the House Ag Committee, Rep. Alexander stated, “Safety’s not the only question, or in my mind even the most important question that we have to consider here. In my view, diluting the God-given freedom of our people is what constitutes an unacceptable risk. That erosion of our rights is a clear and present danger to our citizens and even to our way of life.”

The legislator is far from alone in his libertarian stance. Some ten other states also allow the unlicensed sale of raw milk; those states’ overall track record for safety has been a good one.

The lobbying of award-winning Little Rock Chef Lee Richardson was a major factor in the bill’s passage. Richardson stressed to lawmakers that passage of a raw milk bill was an important step in promoting locally produced food.

FDA submitted comments in opposition to the bill but was as unsuccessful in stopping its passage as it had been a year earlier in its efforts to defeat raw milk legislation in New Hampshire. The agency remains the center of the opposition to raw milk but is losing ground in its campaign to restrict freedom of choice. More states will be joining Arkansas, if not in this legislative session, then in the near future. There were close to twenty raw milk bills up for consideration in the state houses this session, with all but two of them either legalizing its sale or expanding access to the product. It is
a trend that will likely continue.

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The new legislation is a welcome step for raw milk advocates in a state that previously only permitted the sale of raw goat milk. State officials wasted no time in warning the public about potential health risks associated with unpasteurized dairy products, including the release of a four-page informational report detailing potential health risks, symptoms of food borne illnesses and legal liabilities of sellers. Despite the anti-raw milk propaganda pushed but state officials, the new allowances are a small victory for food rights and the dairy farmers who will benefit economically from serving the high demand for raw milk within their communities.

Sources:

http://www.agwatchnetwork.com/newsView.cfm/uuid/AC63AF4D-4271-40E9-B2C5F36DE13E919C

http://www.dairyherd.com/dairy-news/Ark-officials-issue-preemptive-raw-milk-warning-220364681.html

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab

The post Raw Milk Sales Now Legal in Arkansas appeared first on Real Milk.

Beginning in July 2013, Arkansas farms will be allowed to sell up to 500 gallons of unpasteurized cow milk per month, and up to 500 gallons of unpasteurized goat milk per month, directly to consumers. It will still be illegal to sell unpasteurized milk at farmers markets or other retail outlets. Under the new law, farmers will be required to post a sign on the farm and label unpasteurized products with a standardized label noting that the milk is unpasteurized. Neither the farm nor the cows will be inspected by the state, and the buyer assumes all liability should any health problems arise from consuming the raw milk.
This new law is not only exciting for the consumers who rely on raw milk’s nutrients for health benefits, but also for the farmers who see economic opportunity in taking advantage of the emerging raw milk market – raw milk often sells for $6-$8 per gallon. As the market continues to evolve and more farms begin to offer unpasteurized products, it will be interesting to see where costs stabilize and how farms brand themselves to stand out from the herd.

See article in Arkansas Online:
http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2013/apr/28/law-selling-raw-milk-has-some-over-moon-20130428/?business

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation.

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