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Support Raw Milk Sales in Louisiana, House Floor Vote
House Bill 467 (HB 467), legislation legalizing raw milk sales in Louisiana is House floor vote this afternoon.
HB 467 legalizes the on-farm sale of up to 500 gallons per month of either raw cow or raw goat milk for human consumption. There are extensive construction, sanitation, storage and handling requirements, ensuring the production of safe milk, as well as a warning requirement on the label stating that “this product . . . has not been pasteurized, and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and persons with weakened immune systems.”
The bill also clarifies existing law in providing that producers can also sell raw milk for pet consumption.
ACTION TO TAKE
- Call and/or email state Representative asking him/her to vote YES on HB 467; calls are most effective. Further below are Talking Points.
Representatives are listed at https://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/H_Reps_FullInfo
- This is a freedom of choice issue. Everyone has the legal right to consume raw milk, but with the current ban on sales, there is no way for many to exercise that right. Neither the Department of Agriculture and Forestry nor any other government agency or official should have the right to dictate to people what foods they can and cannot eat.
- HB 467 could help farms in the state dairy’s industry stay in business. In 2016, the last time a raw milk bill was before the legislature, there were 115 Grade A dairies in Louisiana. Today that number is around 50. The additional revenue from selling raw milk for human consumption or pet consumption could be the difference for dairies to continue to operate.
- Raw milk has a good record for safety. As demand for raw milk has skyrocketed in recent years, the number of illnesses attributed to raw milk consumption has remained flat or even gone down.
- The media and public health agencies have been warning people not to drink raw milk because of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). There is no evidence that HPAI in raw milk or any other food can make people sick. [See Peg Coleman‘s post, “Where Is the Evidence?”.
WAPF will send out further actual alerts on HB 467 as events warrant.
LINKS:
https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/BillInfo.aspx?s=24rs&b=HB467&sbi=y
Peg Coleman’s post – “Where Is the Evidence”
https://www.colemanscientific.org/blog/2024/4/7/where-is-the-evidence
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