Vermont's Raw Milk Bill - Final Vote on Friday

Legislation (S.70) to allow the sale of raw milk at farmer's markets has passed the Senate Agriculture Committee and is currently pending before the House Agriculture Committee. The Vermont Veterinary Medical Association, The American Academy of Pediatric, and other groups, oppose the sale of raw milk because of the possibility it may contain dangerous bacteria, that then could turn in to a major public health risk.

If you oppose this bill as well, we urge you to contact your state representatives from the list below.  Action is needed today, as this bill goes to vote tomorrow.  We've included a sample letter that you're more than welcome to copy and paste, and send to your representative.

List of State Representatives and Their Contact Info

"Dear Representative _____________,
I am writing to urge you to vote against S. 70, a bill to allow the delivery of raw milk at farmers’ markets.   I believe that the evidence clearly shows that raw milk and associated raw dairy products have the significant potential to cause serious illness.  This probability is considerably greater than for pasteurized dairy products, and, when such sickness strikes, it disproportionately affects young people who are not only most vulnerable but who are also unable to give informed consent.  

As the movement to relax regulation of raw milk sales is becoming more widespread, the rate of disease caused by raw dairy products is likewise rising.  A recent article in the Washington Post citing CDC data reported that, in the last five years, outbreaks of disease due to raw milk have nearly doubled, with eight of such ten cases occurring in states that permit the sale of raw dairy products.  Diseases that can be caused by raw milk include kidney failure (hemolytic uremic syndrome caused by E. coli) as well as paralysis (Guillain Barre Syndrome caused by Campylobacter).

Sale of raw milk at farmers’ markets has intrinsic dangers.  Raw milk will always contain some bacteria, and these bacteria will grow rapidly if the milk spends any time above 40° F.  Should the milk contain disease-causing pathogens, levels of bacteria sufficient to cause disease could be reached rather rapidly. In addition to harm caused to affected individuals, an outbreak of raw milkborne disease could cause irreparable harm to Vermont’s dairy industry as a whole. I urge you to vote against the passage of S. 70.  Thank you.  

Sincerely,

Your name

Your town"

You can also find more information about the risks of raw milk at the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association website.