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Home>Get Involved>Information Alert>21 FEB 2006

WASHINGTON STATE CITIZENS:
Your Voice is Needed TODAY!

WESTON A. PRICE FOUNDATION
ACTION ALERT
February 21, 2006

Fight for Family Dairy Farms in YOUR Community.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Call, email and write the following people to voice your support for the Micro-Dairy Work Group Amendment to SB6377.

1) Your State Representative:

Go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
or call1-800-562-6000 to find your representative. This is especially important if your Representative is on the House Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade Committee. See list of Committee members below.

2) Valoria H. Loveland, Director,Washington State Department of
Agriculture.

Tell her you want her Department to CHANGE ITS POSITION and SUPPORT Rep. Kretz and Appleton's Micro-Dairy Work Group Amendment to SB6377.

Valoria H. Loveland
PO Box 42560
Olympia, WA 98504-2560
e-mail:
Ph: (360) 902-1887

For More Information Contact:
Emmy McAllister, Coordinator
Washington State Raw Milk Micro-Dairy Taskforce
Weston A . Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Snohomish, WA
(425) 334-9644


Chrys Ostrander
Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy Owners
(509) 725-0610


Background:
The House Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade Committee is considering a bill (SB6377) to impose criminal penalties on small-scale dairy producers that sell milk without a license. This is on top of civil penalties already in place.

While everyone supports a safe milk supply, this bill is deeply flawed because it does not do anything to assist small-scale dairy producers who face unreasonable regulations and find it impossible to become licensed under current regulations that were written with only large dairies in mind.

23rd District Rep. Sherry Appleton and 7th District Rep. Joel Kretz are working very hard to attach an amendment to this bill (SB6377) to establish an official dialog among producers, consumers and regulators to study the regulatory barriers faced by small-scale and Micro-Dairies and develop recommendations. It is the Micro-Dairy Work Group amendment. In part, the amendment says "The legislature believes that small dairies,
conventional operations, and state-of-the-art plants can all play a role in the safe sale and distribution of milk and milk products, but that regulation cannot be done on the basis of one-size-fits-all."

Unbelievably, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Washington Dairy Federation oppose the amendment. It's an affront to the family farm community for these groups to oppose a measure that would give small-scale dairy producers, who fervently desire to become licensed dairies, a voice in the regulatory process that governs them, especially when current regulations effectively freeze them out.

In testimony to the House Agriculture Committee last week, Lori
Thornburg, a farmer who wants to become a licensed Micro-Dairy, told the committee "As a small farm, we have a very small budget. We cannot afford to build a separate facility to handle milk from a few goats each day. Unless I can afford to hire a legal team to decipher the law and how to become a licensed diary it seems I am out of luck. After trying to get help to become licensed I am still clueless on how to make that happen.
The laws that were created for a big commercial dairy should not apply to someone that has just a few goats." She speaks for many small-scale family farmers around Washington State. Her words emphasize the great need for a work group to be convened to address the concerns of Micro-Dairy farmers. Please take action today.

Representatives on the House Economic Development, Agriculture and Trade Committee:

Rep. Kelli Linville, CHAIR
(D) 42nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
429 Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7854
mailto:

Rep. Daniel Newhouse
Assistant Minority Floor Leader
(R) 15th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
324 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7874
mailto:

Rep. Eric Pettigrew
(D) 37th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
122E Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7838
mailto:

Rep. Dan Kristiansen
(R) 39th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
404 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7967
mailto:

Rep. Mary Skinner
Minority Caucus Vice Chair
(R) 14th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
434 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7810
mailto:

Rep. Sherry Appleton
Assistant Majority Whip
(D) 23rd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
424 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7934
mailto:

Rep. Barbara Bailey
(R) 10th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
405 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7914
mailto:

Rep. Brian Blake
(D) 19th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
339 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7870
mailto:

Rep. David Buri
Assistant Minority Whip
(R) 9th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
318 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7844
mailto:

Rep. Maralyn Chase
(D) 32nd LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
433 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7880
mailto:

Rep. Judy Clibborn
(D) 41st LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
315 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7926
mailto:

Rep. Jim Dunn
(R) 17th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
322 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7994
mailto:

Rep. Bill Grant
Majority Caucus Chair
(D) 16th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
434B Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7828
mailto:

Rep. Larry Haler
(R) 8th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
403 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7986
mailto:

Rep. Janéa Holmquist
(R) 13th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
436 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7932
mailto:

Rep. Derek Kilmer
(D) 26th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
430 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7802
mailto:

Rep. Joel Kretz
(R) 7th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
439 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7988
mailto:

Rep. John McCoy
(D) 38th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
338 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7864
mailto:

Rep. Dawn Morrell
(D) 25th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
342 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7968
mailto:

Rep. Dave Quall
(D) 40th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
301 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7800


Rep. Chris Strow
(R) 10th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
323 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7884
mailto:

Rep. Pat Sullivan
(D) 47th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
122G Legislative Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7858
mailto:

Rep. Deb Wallace
(D) 17th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT
Olympia Office:
340 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
(360) 786-7976
mailto:

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