TN Alert – Support Raw Butter Sales SB358 & HB532

Support Raw Butter Sales –

Tell Your Senator to Vote YES on SB 358

Tell House Committee Members to Vote YES on HB 532

It’s a busy week for the effort to legalize raw butter sales in Tennessee. On Monday evening, March 4, the full Senate will vote on Senate Bill 358 (HB 358), a bill that would allow sales of raw butter by those dairy producers holding a dairy plant license. Last week SB 358 passed out of committee by an 8-0 vote. The bill has been placed on the consent calendar for the vote on the Senate floor, meaning little opposition is expected against SB 358.

In Tennessee bills on any subject must pass out of both houses before the governor can sign the legislation into law. House Bill 532 (HB 532), the companion bill with the same language as SB 358, is scheduled for a hearing in the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Subcommittee on Tuesday, March 5 at noon.

Last year a bill that would have legalized raw butter sales failed in this House committee after passing out of the Senate. It is crucial that supporters of HB 532 contact the House committee members to ask that they support legal raw milk sales; it’s likely that the bill’s opponents will be trying to convince the committee members to vote against the bill on the grounds that it is a public health threat, a charge that is completely false (see Talking Points)

ACTION TO TAKE

1. CALL and/or email Subcommittee Members asking them to vote “YES on HB 532 for Raw Butter Sales”. Call if at all possible; calls usually make a bigger impact than emails. See the full list of committee members at the end of this email.

You may copy/paste this block to send an email to all Subcommittee Members; phrase any of the Talking Points in your own words. It’s best to follow up with phone calls to ensure your email is received and read.

Subject: Vote YES on HB 532 Raw Butter Sales

rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov; rep.jesse.chism@capitol.tn.gov; rep.john.ray.clemmons@capitol.tn.gov; rep.curtis.halford@capitol.tn.gov; rep.andy.holt@capitol.tn.gov; rep.bud.hulsey@capitol.tn.gov; rep.chris.todd@capitol.tn.gov

2. ATTEND the hearing which is taking place at the Cordell Hull Building, House Hearing Room II at 12:00 noon Central, Tuesday, March 5, 2019. Your participation can make a difference.

Cordell Hull Building

House Hearing Room II

425 5th Avenue N.

Nashville, TN 37243 (directions)

3. TELL YOUR SENATOR to vote “YES on SB 358 for Raw Butter Sales”. Click here for a listing of Senators; you can also enter your address in the upper right side to find your legislators at

http://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/

TALKING POINTS

1. Raw butter has an excellent track record for safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), foodborne illness database which runs from 1998-2016 there is not a single case of foodborne illness attributed to the consumption of commercially produced raw butter; Organic Pastures Dairy Company (OPDC) in California has sold over 2 million pounds of raw butter without a single complaint.

2. The bill will expand consumer access to nutrient-dense raw dairy products and keep more of the food dollar in the community.

3. SB 358 will enable the dairy farms that do have a dairy plant license to make a better living through the sale of a high demand value-added dairy product—raw butter. Even dairy farms without the license could benefit by having additional demand for their milk.

4. The number of dairy farms in Tennessee has declined tremendously, dropping from 600 in 1997 to less than 200 today. Legal raw butter sales can help save some of the remaining dairies.

Please share this alert with others.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS – House Agriculture and Natural Resources

At the end of this list is an email copy/paste block for the full committee. Staffers are listed below since you will likely speak to them when you call.

Jay D. Reedy (R-74) – Subcmte Chair

rep.jay.reedy@capitol.tn.gov

615-741-7098

Staff: Jennifer Beckwith

Rep. Curtis Hallford (R-79) – Chair & Subcmte member

rep.curtis.halford@capitol.tn.gov

615-741-7478

Staff: Becky Cantrell

Rep. Chris Todd (R-73) – Vice Chair & Subcmte member

rep.chris.todd@capitol.tn.gov

615-741-7475

Staff: Robb Cagle