A few updates from the legislative and market fronts on raw milk:
–Connecticut appears to have backed away from a legislative ban on retail sales. Legislation pushed by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture would have pulled raw milk from state grocery and health food stores, and restricted sales to raw dairies. The legislation failed to make it out of the General Assembly’s Environmental Committee, says Pete Kennedy, head of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, who has been monitoring the legislation.
–When last we heard about the coliform standard for California raw milk—last November, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 201 and thus allowed the ongoing implementation of AB 1735 and its ten-coliform-per-milliliter limit—it seemed as if California’s raw milk drinkers faced a crisis. I suggested as much in my report on the veto, anticipating reprisals by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Well, no obvious crisis has developed. AB 1735 is being enforced, and the two dairies that produce raw milk continue to turn out product. That doesn’t mean nothing is happening. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California’s two raw dairies have experienced a total of half a dozen production interruptions, lasting from three to eleven days, over the last 15 months, since AB 1735 was implemented.
Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy Co. says that the interruptions have generally gone unnoticed by consumers because they don’t involve any recalls of existing product on store shelves, and affect only one of several product lines at any time. Thus, there might be a halt in skim milk sales, but regular milk and cream is unaffected. “The details of the protocol are not as gruesome as you might expect,” says McAfee.
However, he still bridles at the regulation. “It’s a pain,” he says. “And it’s not about food safety.” What bothers him most much is that AB 1735 was pushed through secretly. CDFA “lied and misled our legislators,” he says. The question of the legality of AB 1735 is still in court, based on a suit by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and the a trial could occur this summer.
–The regulatory and enforcement pressures on raw milk producers are having a predictable effect: they’re throwing more sales underground. A new article, which appears to be well researched, on MSN.com, says that raw milk “may be the most briskly traded underground commodity traded in the United States.” It says that private, sometimes secretive, buyers groups have sprung up, and that consumers “keep very, very quiet about their sources.”
You squeeze legitimate producers enough, and they go underground. Doesn’t that theoretically increase the danger? After all, the underground sources presumably aren’t being tested or otherwise monitored by regulators. Dairy czar John Sheehan of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and his minions in state ag and public health agencies should consider the implications: If this growing volume of unregulated raw milk doesn’t create an uptick in food-borne illness, might not ever more consumers ask themselves a dangerous question: What’s the big deal about raw milk?
"Proponents of the ban say antibiotics are given to healthy animals over a long period of time to compensate for unsanitary and crowded conditions, and to promote weight gain, rather than to combat illness."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29877241/
" Limited laboratory studies have shown that human cells failed to grow or took unusual shapes when exposed to combinations of some pharmaceuticals found in drinking water."
Why is it alright to contaminate the animals and environment? I’ll use Claravale and OP as examples; they have adhered to good sanitary practices, yet the govt appears to dog them constantly. Yet the govt takes results from the peanut company who hired the private inspector who gave the TX plant a 100% pass rating? What is wrong with this picture?
It would appear that the increase in contamination may push more and more people to forging towards natural (unadulterated) foods.
Columbia Missourian
Raw Milk Debate Rekindling in Missouri Legislature By Emily Coleman
http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2009/03/31/raw-milk-debate-rekindling-mo-legislature/
I’m opposed to onerous regulations too, but what if these "disruptions" prevented illnesses and recalls? It seems like consumers should be glad that there is a testing program that catches possible sanitary problems (high coliforms may indicate poop in the milk) before product hits the shelves. The last documented outbreak from a licensed raw milk dairy in California was in December 2007. AB 1735 went into effect in January 2008 – no outbreaks since, and no indication that sales have dropped (in fact, quotes in media reports suggest that sales of raw milk have increased). Coincidence?
Thereis a big loophole in the bill to prohibit feeding antibiotics to animals.
"Introduced in the House of Representatives by Louise Slaughter and in the Senate by Edward Kennedy, the legislation, would ban the use of antibiotics important to human health from being used on cattle, hogs, sheep and poultry unless animals are ill."
"unless animals are ill"
Animals in confinement with limited space are ill most of the time.The antibiotics help make up for their compromised immune systems.
You know as well as I do ,that the results from these tests are not known until after the product hits the shelves.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/dairy/404-405/404-405.html#spc
"Standard Plate Count (SPC) determines the number of visible colony-forming units (numbers of individual or tightly associated clumps of bacteria) in 1 ml. of milk incubated at 90F for 48 hours."
Three days after the sample is taken we know if that days milk was "clean" or not.The milk that tested high is not held for three days until the sample results are known.
There are much faster tests that tell if there are sufficient lactic acid bacteria in the milk to assure that the milk is safe for cheese making.Ecoli in the milk will be obvious when milk is fermented.Lots of gas bubbles are produced when ecoli is present.Ecoli in cheese results in "blowing".The cheese puffs up and feels spongy.Adding enough starter culture(LAB) can overcome the presence of antibiotics.
" In other circumstances, cheesemakers have used extra large amounts of starter culture (10-20 times the normal dose rate ) on the assumption that, if the inhibitory antibiotics is absorbed by some of the bacterial cells, others will be left to continue the desired acid development."
http://www.nnikolce.netfirms.com/Antibiotics%20in%20milk.htm
" The production of acid in milk- by bacteria sensitive to antibiotics – can be used as a test for inhibitory substances, provided that precautions are taken to avoid the inhibition of acid development by phage infection. A more satisfactory test for inhibitory milks is based on the use of reducible dyes, i.e. Methiylene blue, Resazurin or Tetrazolium salts, all of which change colour in the actively growing micro-organisms. As the time taken for the dye to change colour is broadly correlated with metabolic activity, the addition of a standard inoculum under standard conditions should induce a colour change in approximately the same time for each batch of milk. As the test can be completed in under 30 min, it provides a simple, routine guide to the acceptability of the milk for cheese production.
There are regulations regarding the use of antibiotics and similar treatments in most countries, especially those interested in manufactured milk products. Financial penalties are used to discourage the sale of milk containing these agents but, in spite of the penalties and regulations, success in cheesemaking requires routine testing of incoming milk supplies."
Which dairy was this?
Miguel, I agree totally, "Animals in confinement with limited space are ill most of the time.The antibiotics help make up for their compromised immune systems. " The more I learn, the more I lean towards a more self sufficient farm. I was hoping to be lazy in my retirement and just dig in my garden patch and watch the chickens. It’s not meant to be.
Don, from your link; "Karen Prescott, the administrator of environmental services and a board representative for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. "Personally, I would not buy it. I would not serve it to my children. I think there are too many health concerns."
I wonder if she feeds her kids processed foods? It is good to know that you can buy raw milk in MO.
"You know as well as I do ,that the results from these tests are not known until after the product hits the shelves."
I was thinking, gotcha (me) there…you are right in that the specific batch would have gone out on the shelves. But, the way the regulatory testing works…the dairy has to pass three of five tests , so presumably failures on the multiple tests would prevent possibly poop-contaminated milk from going to the consumers. I’m curious about the details of these disruptions – for example, how far over the regulatory coliform limit (1, 2, 5, 10 logs…) were the milk samples? I am not necessarily convinced this system is the best approach, but it seems to be working based on 1) the dairies have not been shut down and 2) no outbreaks since they implemented the stricter coliform limit.
Sylvia,
This is the last documented outbreak I could find from a licensed raw milk dairy since AB 1735 in CA:
http://tiny.cc/vnOye
Off topic, this article is interesting:
New, more effective nisin antibiotics combat superbugs and food diseases
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/sfgm-nme032709.php
http://www.chihonbio.com/english/products/contentNisin_10.htm
http://www.aicma.com/chemicals/Nisin%20NISZCP.pdf
"Nisin alone is not effective against gram-negative bacteria or yeasts and molds. Research
has shown that Nisin in combination with chelating agents such as EDTA or nonionic surfactants such as Polysorbate 20, shows potent bactericidal activity against gram-negative organisms."
Is this stating it must be mixed with another chemical to be effective? I have a problem when chemicals are added to my foods, especially without informing me. It appears to come from China.
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/cs/BlobServer/Scientific_Opinion/afc_op_ej314_nisin_op_en1,0.pdf
I guess any "low" amount of renal changes is "ok"? if it is man-made, that is not natural.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Smith/jeffrey122.htm
"The scientists and the science were ignored"
The science of food destruction has been embraced and promoted by the system. In this time of universal fake food those of us rejecting the SAD are deemed "crazy and radical"
But they in the KNOW say one thing and do another for their own self preservation. Are high profile organic gardens only PR sort of like political banners and nice sounding slogans?
Lets all appreciate that each state of the union has its own poliical and legal reality which span the entire spectrum from 100% legal raw milk sales to 100% illegal raw milk sales.
That reality places each of us in different places with regard to how we all push forward to make safe, probiotic, enzyme rich, delicious raw milk available for our consumers and families.
The NCIMS conference is a puppet of the FDA and would like nothing more than all of us in the raw milk food movement to be in conflict and disagreement.
For the record….I support local efforts, what ever that fight looks like to assure freedom to consume, produce and provide safe raw milk ( and all other whole foods ) to our citizens.
I am absolutely determined to use the processes in our great country to change our great country. If we do not engage the process, then we have abandoned the process. As citizen patriots and we must engage and stay engaged.
We must show up.
Please join in and help by being engaged and committed, not just on this blog…but at NCIMS and at all levels of government and market involvement. We must show that we demand change and provide the arguments in the right forum to make it happen.
In parts of America raw milk freedom may be Cow Shares…in other parts it may be regalulated state inspected raw milk. In other parts it may be black market.
Regardless….we must all fight and stand together to earn change.
Mark McAfee
Legislature Must Rein in Risk of Raw Milk
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/editorials/hc-prelli0403.artapr03,0,117566.story
The US of A is the worlds policeman, the US of A is the worlds banker.
We just set a new record 32.2 million Americans are now on food stamps.
What is wrong with this picture? We wont find this story on CNBC or the major networks.
One in 10 Americans Gets Help From US to Buy Food
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5314B320090402