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Tell Senate Committee Members to Vote YES on HB 521
Support Sales of Raw Milk and Raw Milk Products
House Bill 521 (HB 521), legislation legalizing raw milk sales in Hawaii, will be heard in a joint meeting with the Senate Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Agriculture and Environment (AEN) committees at 1:30pm on Monday, March 20th.
HB 521 legalizes the sale of raw milk and raw milk products direct to consumers provided that the farm from which the raw milk or raw milk product originated shall own or house no more than ten milk-bearing cows. Producers must be in compliance with rules issued by the state board of health, including a requirement that the label on the raw milk or raw milk products have a warning statement. Producers must also obtain a permit before beginning operations.
HB 521 also allows sales of raw goat milk for pet consumption. Producers must be in compliance with rules issued by the state department of health, including a requirement that a label have the statement: “Contains pathogens that may be unsafe for human consumption.”
Hawaii is an outlier, one of only five states that doesn’t allow any sale or distribution of raw milk. It’s time for the legislature to change that.
ACTION TO TAKE
Please submit comments in support of HB 521 for both committees through the online portal on the bill webpage by tapping “Submit Testimony”. You can still do so despite the 24-hour deadline; you late submission will be accepted.
After you have created an account at https://capitol.hawaii.gov/, you can sign-in and go to the bill page for HB 521 then tap the “Submit Testimony” link and follow the instructions.
HB 521 bill page –
https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=521&year=2023
TALKING POINTS
1. Tell the committee members your story on how raw milk has benefited your health or the health of your family.
2. Raw milk has a good track record for safety. According to at least one study, the number of illnesses attributed to raw milk consumption in the U.S. has declined as demand for the product has increased.
3. There is not a single Grade A dairy producing milk in the state. Passage of HB 521 can revive Hawaii’s dairy industry.
4. Passage of HB 521 would enable family farmers to make a better living. Raw milk in other states is often the product that first draws the consumer to set foot on the farm, leading to sales of other foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and produce.
5. HB 521 supports consumer choice. The consumption of all raw milk products is legal in Hawaii; Hawaiians should not have to be part of an illegal transaction to exercise their legal right.
WAPF will send out further alerts on HB 521 as events warrant.
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