For Immediate Release
September 18, 2007

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Senate Ag Committee holds hearing on raw milk

Members seek balanced input on production and sale

HARRISBURG – The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee today heard testimony from a variety of individuals on the sale and production of raw milk, Committee Chairman Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) said. 

The hearing was a direct result of input gathered during the Committee's statewide listening sessions earlier this year. 

"During the listening sessions, producers talked to us about the need to develop new, more profitable marketing practices to remain viable and on the land," Brubaker said. "One of the ways many farmers would like to do this is through the sale of raw milk and raw milk products." 

However, Brubaker also noted that recent recalls by the state Department of Agriculture have highlighted the health risks that can and do accompany these products. 

"Our goal through this hearing was to have an open and balanced discussion on this issue," Brubaker said. "Such a discussion will help this committee best address ways to offer farmers more opportunities to sell their products while at the same time addressing public health concerns."  

Dennis Wolff, Secretary for the state Department of Agriculture, also emphasized the dual role of the Department regarding raw milk sales. 

"The Department encourages and supports diverse farming practices and encourages farmers to break into new markets," Wolff said. "We also have a statutory responsibility to the people of Pennsylvania to ensure a safe food supply."

Wolff said that dairy farmers who have the appropriate permit have had the ability to sell raw milk directly to consumers since 1935, and that demand for raw milk is rising. 

"Only fluid raw milk and hard cheeses are legal to be sold with a permit," Wolff said. "The permits are free, but require that the dairy herd producing the milk, the milking equipment, the farm's water supply and the milk itself are inspected and tested periodically for the public's protection." 

Both Wolff and Michael Huff, Deputy Secretary for Health Planning and Assessment with the state Department of Health, acknowledged that raw milk has a higher risk of pathogens such as salmonella and E.coli than pasteurized milk does. 

"Standard hygiene practices can reduce but not eliminate the risk of milk contamination," Huff said. "Pasteurization dramatically decreases the number of pathogenic organisms present in milk and does not appreciably alter the nutritional content of the product." 

Huff also said that both federal and state law do not permit the sale of soft cheeses, yogurts and other similar products made from raw milk because the increased handling and processing, as well as the longer shelf life, increase the possibility for bacteria to be introduced. 

"With the emergence of new diseases and antibiotic resistant bacteria in raw milk, it is absolutely essential that milk sold to the public must be pasteurized," said Dr. Bhushan Jayarao, Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Extension Veterinarian with the Pennsylvania State University. "Public health safety should be the number one priority over other issues related to the sale of raw milk and milk products in the Commonwealth." 

Peggy Wolf, who has consumed raw milk and raw milk products her entire life, disagreed, saying that there are many health benefits of good raw milk and that she and her family have never had a problem with raw milk. 

"As I see it, there are two issues here. One is the safety and nutritional value of raw milk products. The other is a personal freedom to choose what affects our bodies," Wolf said. 

Wolf said that pasteurization alters or kills hormones, enzymes, steroids and proteins, and that research shows that food that is alive and as natural as possible is best for humans. She indicated that there are many raw milk advocates who can give personal testimony that speaks to their families' health improvement from drinking raw milk.

"I should be free to make the informed choice to assume the very slight risk of illness if I wish," Wolf said, drawing cheers from the large crowd in attendance at the hearing. 

"I hope that we will begin the process of changing or amending Pennsylvania's raw milk laws so that raw milk and all its products can be produced and sold legally in a direct farmer to consumer situation without government regulation," she concluded. 

"Eliminating government regulation and interference would help small farms and local economies," concurred Wilmer Newswanger, a farmer and Chairman of Communities Alliance for Responsible Eco-Farming. 

Newswanger said that laws and regulations must apply equally to every individual; if farmers and their families can drink raw milk, then it is discriminatory to deny everyone else the same right. 

"Educated consumers want an unregulated choice and don't want to have someone else telling them what they can and cannot eat," Newswanger said. "Consumer knowledge and education are important elements, and consumers need to assume a degree of responsibility in making a decision as to the relative safety of the milk." 

Brian Snyder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), agreed that Pennsylvania farmers need the ability to bring their best products to the best markets available to them, as close to the consumer as possible. To do so, he supported retaining and improving the current permit system for raw dairy products. 

"The purpose of the [raw milk] permit is to increase sales, and to create a partnership between the Department [of Agriculture] and the farmer to ensure quality and to allow for marketing of these products," Snyder said. 

Dr. John Dossett, Chair of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, also shared his support for the sale of raw milk and raw milk products with a program that tests milk and the animals from which they come. In particular, he added, children need to be protected because the "buyer beware" mentality cannot apply to them. 

In addition to the testimony presented at today's hearing, Brubaker said the Committee received numerous written comments from other consumers, advocates, health officials and members of the agriculture industry. All testimony will be available online at his web site, www.senatorbrubaker.com/agriculture.  

"I appreciate all of the input we have received on this important topic, as it will help the Committee address the needs of both farmers and consumers," Brubaker said. "My colleagues and I will use this information to develop a sensible and balanced policy for the Commonwealth." 

The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee will hold additional hearings on topics raised by the listening sessions throughout the fall. 

Contact:

Kristin Crawford, Executive Director
Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
717-787-4420