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Raw Deal: Milk War Hits NYTimes Op-Ed Page

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Yup, people are still talking a lot about raw milk, especially in light of Wisconsin Governor James Doyle’s surprise veto of a bill that would have allowed the state’s dairy farmers to sell it directly from their farms. Michael Feldman took up the issue on the New York Times‘ Op-Ed Page:

Things loosened considerably over the years, but raw milk, the bane of an industry built around dairy processing, remained taboo. Then, in April, during the waning hours of the legislative session, the Raw Milk Act finally passed, sending Representative Danou to his feet again to tip back a glass of what must have been pretty warm raw milk. Victory seemed assured; Wisconsin’s governor, James Doyle, had earlier indicated he would sign the bill.

Mr. Danou had no way of knowing that in the meantime the Cheese Makers Association, the Farm Bureau Federation and the Dairy Business Association, a sort of “Axis of Ag,” had sold their anti-raw case to Governor Doyle, blending their self-interest with warnings over diphtheria-, salmonellosis- and strep-bearing unpasteurized milk. Governor Doyle has had his moments, but Solomon he wasn’t on May 19, when he vetoed the Raw Milk Act — despite his February approval of a tangentially related bill that made the dills and salsas of home-picklers street-legal.

2 Comments

  1. I want my milk raw, or not at all ! The processing of dairy kills all the digestive enzymes and beneficial (naturally occurring) bacteria that milk should have in it. Otherwise cannot be properly metabolized in the digestive tract.

    So long as the machines being used to harvest & store milk is kept sanitary & the animal is healthy, grass grazing, and kept clean, the milk it produces is perfectly safe without pasteurization.

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