Northern Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie introduced the Milk Freedom Act of 2014 and the Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2014.
The Republican from Lewis County introduced the bills with Maine Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree and eighteen other members of Congress from both parties. According to a news release from Massie’s office, the bills are the first in a series of “food freedom” bills that he plans to introduce this year.
“As a producer of grass-fed beef, I am familiar with some of the difficulties small farmers face when marketing fresh food directly to consumers,” Massie said in a news release. “Our bills would make it easier for families to buy wholesome milk directly from farmers by reversing the criminalization of dairy farmers who offer raw milk. The federal government should not punish farmers for providing customers the foods they want, and states should be free to set their own laws regulating food safety.”
“Many consumers want to buy fresh, unpasteurized milk and regulations shouldn’t get between them and the farmer who wants to sell it,” Pingree said in the release. “Given how many food scares there have been involving large-scale producers, it just doesn’t make sense to spend money cracking down on small, local farmers who are producing natural, raw milk and cheese. The enforcement of raw milk regulations has been overzealous and needs to be reined in.”
“As consumer, advocate, and mother, I have spent over a decade navigating a complex legal and regulatory maze to access raw milk and other fresh, local foods,” said Sarah Donovan of the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation. “These bills are an important step toward removing federal barriers between farmers and families.”
“Raw milk is the only food banned in interstate commerce,” said Pete Kennedy, President of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. “Congratulations to Representative Massie for starting the process of repealing a regulation that thousands of otherwise law abiding citizens violate every week in this country.”
Raw milk is fresh milk that has not been pasteurized, and may contain beneficial nutrients that have not been eliminated by the pasteurization process. Although Congress has never passed legislation banning raw milk, the federal Food and Drug Administration has used their regulatory authority to prosecute farmers for selling raw milk.
The Center for Disease Control, however, warns against the consumption of raw milk.
Milk and products made from milk, such as certain cheeses, ice cream, and yogurt, are foods that when consumed raw can pose severe health risks, the CDC website reads, insisting that pasteurization is necessary.
“Before the invention and acceptance of pasteurization, raw milk was a common source of the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, diphtheria, severe streptococcal infections, typhoid fever, and other foodborne illnesses. These illnesses killed many people each year, especially young children,” the CDC website says.
According to the news release from Massie’s office, the Milk Freedom Act of 2014 would “provide relief to local farmers, small producers, and others who have been harassed, fined, and in some cases even prosecuted for the “crime” of distributing unpasteurized milk. This bill would prohibit the federal government from interfering with the interstate traffic of raw milk products.”
Likewise, the “Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2014” would prevent the federal government from interfering with trade of unpasteurized, natural milk or milk products between states where distribution or sale of such products is already legal.
No provision of either bill would preempt or otherwise interfere with any state law, Massie said.
“Today, many people are paying more attention to the food they eat, what it contains, and how it is processed,” Massie said. “Raw milk, which has been with us for thousands of years, is making a comeback among these discerning consumers. Personal choices as basic as ‘what we feed our families’ should not be limited by the federal government.”