Tell your State Rep. and Committee Members to Oppose SB 300
Keep Raw Milk Legal in Kansas
A bill has been introduced that would make any sales of raw milk and raw milk products (other than raw cheese aged 60 days by licensed manufacturers) illegal in Kansas. Current law allows the unregulated on-farm sale of not only raw milk but other raw dairy products such as butter, cheese, cream, and yogurt. Senate Bill 300 (SB 300) would ban the sale of all of these products, taking the state from one of the better raw milk laws in the country to prohibition.
The attempt to ban raw milk follows a recent court settlement in which the Kansas Department of Agriculture agreed not to enforce the Kansas statute that banned the advertising of raw milk sales. It isn’t clear whether the end of the advertising ban led to the introduction of SB 300, but the effort to prohibit raw dairy sales comes despite a trend in recent years of a decline in foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to raw milk consumption while the demand for raw milk has been increasing. Help defeat this attack on freedom of choice and farmers’ ability to make a living.
SB 300 has been assigned to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. A hearing on the bill scheduled for February 6 has been postponed; as of this time, no hearing has been rescheduled.
ACTION TO TAKE
Call or email the committee members (listed below) and your Senator asking them to oppose SB 300. Phone calls are most effective.
To find your Kansas state Senator (on the roster), you may type your address in the search field at
https://openstates.org/ks/legislators/?chamber=upper
TALKING POINTS
1. Individuals should have the right to obtain the foods of their choice; a raw milk ban would hurt that right and wind up creating a black market for raw milk and raw milk products.
2. Raw milk properly prepared and handled is a safe, low-risk food. A recent study indicated that, as the demand for raw milk has increased in the U.S. over the past 12 to 15 years, the number of foodborne illnesses blamed on raw milk has declined substantially. In 2019 there were few, if any, foodborne illness outbreaks attributed to raw milk consumption. There is no evidence that raw milk and raw milk products are a food safety problem in Kansas.
3. Passage of SB 300 will hurt the ability of small farmers to make a living. Raw milk is often what gets the consumer to go to the farm in the first place and leads to sales of other farm products such as meat, poultry, eggs, and produce. A ban would hurt the farmer beyond lost sales of raw dairy.
4. There are numerous foods that have worse track records for food safety than raw milk–raw milk is the only food the government holds to a standard of perfection–it’s time to end the double standard.
WAPF will give further updates on SB 300 as events warrant.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
Sen. Dan Kerschen (26-R) – Chair
Phone: 785-296-7353
Email: Dan.Kerschen@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Bud Estes (38-R)– Vice Chair
Phone: 785-296-7359
Email: Bud.Estes@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Marci Francisco (2-D) – Ranking Minority Member
Phone: 785-296-7364
Email: Marci.Francisco@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Ed Berger (34-R)
Phone: 785-296-6981
Email: Ed.Berger@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Rick Billinger (40-R)
Phone: 785-296-7399
Email: Rick.Billinger@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Carolyn McGinn (31-R)
Phone: 785-296-7377
Email: Carolyn.McGinn@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Dennis Pyle (1-R)
Phone: 785-296-7379
Email: Dennis.Pyle@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Mary Jo Taylor (33-R)
Phone: 785-296-7667
Email: MaryJo.Taylor@senate.ks.gov
Sen. Mary Ware (25-D)
Phone: 785-296-7391
Email: Mary.Ware@senate.ks.gov
STAFF – always be respectful when speaking to staff members
Committee Assistant: Judy Marks 785-296-7353
Jessa Farmer – Legislative Research
Victoria Potts – Legislative Research
Amelia Kovar-Donohue – Office of Revisor of Statutes
Tamera Lawrence – Office of Revisor of Statutes
SB 300 Bill History and Links – http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/measures/sb300/
Committee webpage – http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/committees/ctte_s_agriculture_and_natural_resources_1/
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Mathias says
Who is behind these bills? Something seems very off. Are the dairy industry loosing money on their denaturated products?
Sandra Wilkes says
The Dairy (and health) Industry needs to research dairy allergies and sensitivities. Then they can oppose those factors that are CAUSING the public to have gut, inflammatory, and autoimmune issues with processed milk. HEALTH CONDITIONS that are turning people to alternative milk-like products are causing the down turn in the dairy market, Raw Milk is NOT the enemy. What is CAUSING many of us to be UNABLE to ingest processed milk (or milk at all) without having symptoms? We ALL need to know.
Alton says
We also need the opposition to the fall- back bill SB 308 which will require further “mis”-labeling restrictions on Raw milk sales.
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2019_20/measures/sb308/
This hearing will take place Feb 13 in the same committee.