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Raw Milk Action Alert for CTConnecticut has long been one of the best states for raw milk producers and consumers. There are currently 23 licensed producers selling raw milk in the state.In addition, the sale of raw milk is legal in retail stores throughout the state, enabling producers to sell to consumers who otherwise would not go to the farm to purchase raw milk because of the distance involved. Connecticut residents aren't the only ones buying the raw milk the state's producers have to offer. Consumers from New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island travel to the state to obtain raw milk, spending money in the local economy in the process. The favorable climate that now exists for raw milk in Connecticut is in jeopardy. If the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CDA) has its way, the access to raw milk that consumers currently enjoy will be a thing of the past. CDA is pushing legislation that would not only make sales at retail stores illegal but would increase production costs for licensees to such an extent that it would be much more difficult for many to remain in business. We believe CDA's apparent motive in reducing markets for producers while increasing expenses is to create an eventual de facto ban on sales of raw milk in the state. BACKGROUND During June and July 2008, fourteen people became ill from E. Coli O157:H7 who consumed milk produced by one of the state's raw milk licensees, Town Farm Dairy (TFD), located in Simsbury. During its investigation of the dairy, CDA found a "genetic link between E. coli O157:NM isolated from the feces of a dry cow that was being milked at the time the sick individuals purchased milk and E. coli O157:NM isolated from three sick individuals." The department concluded overall that "the contaminated Retail Raw Milk resulted in seven confirmed illnesses and seven strongly linked to the Retail Raw Milk." TDF is not your typical raw milk dairy. It is owned by the town of
Simsbury and is operated by Friends of Town Farm Dairy, a non-profit
community group. In 2007 Friends of Town Farm Dairy hired a couple of
farmers to help run the dairy. According to a story (June 24, 2008)
in the Hartford Courant, the farmers left the dairy July 1, 2008 "leaving
members of the Town Farm Dairy board and volunteers to milk the dairy
cows and run the day-to-day farming." At least some of the milk
suspected of causing the illness was produced after that date. The Courant
story also noted that out of the 282 reported E. coli O157:H7 cases
in Connecticut In response to this one incident involving an unconventional dairy, CDA has proposed the following changes to the law: ON-FARM SALES RESTRICTION. Restricting sales of raw milk to the farm
where it is produced. CDA's reason for this proposal is that "Retail
Raw Milk packaging and appearance is similar to pasteurized milk products.
The department believes that consumers may be confused by these similarities
especially because Retail Raw Milk is presented to the consumer in a
display case along side pasteurized milk. Consumers who are unfamiliar
with Retail Raw Milk and the potential health consequences may believe
that Retail Raw Milk is as safe for their children or themselves as
pasteurized milk." In other words, the department does not believe The on-farm restriction would cripple raw milk producers. Most of the licensees have retail stores accounting for at least half of sales. How many retail store customers cannot afford to take the additional time and expense to travel to the farm? BURDENSOME TESTING EXPENSES. Under current regulations, raw milk producers test milk four times a year for pathogens with CDA responsible for the testing. The state does not charge producers for these tests. Under CDA's proposed bill, producers would not only be responsible for MONTHLY testing for pathogens but also have to PAY for the testing as well. A producer who recently called a state-certified laboratory to get a price quote was told the testing would cost $135 per test, or $1,620 per year. Of all the states where raw milk is currently sold in retail stores, only one (Utah) requires producers to pay for testing. New York, after whom CDA is patterning its proposed testing requirements, does not charge producers. The costs for testing milk for pathogens under CDA's proposal would pale in comparison to the costs for quarterly fecal sample testing-another requirement the department would like to impose on raw milk producers. Under the proposed bill, each licensed farm would have to provide "a feces specimen from each milking aged animal" for pathogen testing. The state-certified lab mentioned earlier quoted a test price of $111 per milking animal for each test. So, a farm with twenty milking cows would be paying almost $9000 for fecal sample testing each year. There is no state in the country that requires raw milk producers to test fecal samples. The revenue lost due to the on-farm restriction combined with testing expenses will put raw milk licensees out of business. With the current economic recession, producers might not be able to pass any of these cost increases on to the consumer without losing even more sales. NEW CONSUMER ADVISORY. Current law requires the following advisory on labels of bottles containing raw milk: "Raw milk is not pasteurized, pasteurization destroys organisms that may be harmful to human health." The proposed bill would require that labels contain the following statement: "Warning: Raw Milk has not been pasteurized and may contain harmful bacteria. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with lowered resistance to disease have the highest risk of serious illness from use of this product." In addition, the bill requires the same warning to be displayed "within five (5) feet of any cooler, product display, refrigerated storage case or location where raw milk is accessed by consumers." While other states require similar warning labels and signs, the question for CDA here is that shouldn't these warnings be sufficient so as not to confuse a consumer in a retail store about the difference between raw milk and pasteurized milk? If the proposed advisory becomes law, the department's reasons for the retail store ban on the sale of raw milk no longer makes sense, even for an agency that has little regard for the intelligence of the consumer. The Connecticut Milk Regulation Board has scheduled a meeting for January 21 to consider CDA's recommended changes to the law. The meeting is to be held at 10:00 a.m. in the State Office Building on 165 Capitol Avenue in Hartford. ACTIONS TO TAKE Readers of this alert should write a letter of one page or less, with a title of PROPOSED RAW MILK RESTRICTIONS, to the members of the Environment Committee expressing the following points in opposing the bill. The letters can be sent to each member by email and then sent by regular mail. 1. That the proposed bill would make it more difficult for consumers
to exercise their freedom of choice by reducing access to raw milk.
For those interested in making a donation to help defeat CDA's proposal may send funds payable to CT NOFA with a memo clearly earmarking it "CT Raw Milk and Cheese Assn": CT NOFA You can also track progress through the website: Future alerts will be sent as developments warrant. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS District# S12 - co-chair District# 119 - co-chair Senate District# S18 - vice chair District# 53 - vice chair Senate District# S28 - ranking member District# 67 - ranking member
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