Bill to license raw milk producers passes state Senate

By Elizabeth Wynne Johnson
Northwest News Network

On Tuesday, Washington’s Senate passed a bill that requires so-called “cow share” programs – those that sell unpasteurized, or raw, milk to be licensed by the state just like other dairies.

When it’s sold in stores, un-pasteurized milk is regulated. But it’s not widely available. A growing number of raw milk enthusiasts get their supply from cow-shares. Until recently, George Calvert operated one near Spokane. For forty dollars, you could buy a share in one of his five cows. You’d also pay a monthly fee for milking. It’s the service – not the product – that you’re buying. Cow-shares aren’t subject to regulations and inspections because they’re technically not selling the milk. It’s legal, and Calvert thinks it should stay that way.

“I feel like if you decided that you wanted to come here and look at what I do and decide that you want to drink milk, and you bought a share in the cow and it’s your cow and you hired me to milk the cow for you, you ought to be able to do that. But that’s not what the state wants,” says Calvert.

Cow-share agreements came under scrutiny late last year, when an E. coli outbreak sickened eighteen people in western Washington and Oregon. The incident prompted several lawmakers to draft bills to close what they view as the loophole that allows cow-share farms to avoid regulation. Calvert has put his raw milk business on hold. He’s worried the state may soon demand equipment upgrades costing as much as ten thousand dollars. So he pours eight gallons of creamy white liquid into buckets for a calf and some pigs.

“It’s now pig milk,” he says with a soft laugh. “And the pigs love milk.”

He’ll keep only what he can drink himself. Calvert swears by the benefits of raw milk. He says it’s tastier, easier to digest, and richer in nutrients and enzymes. But public health officials tend to focus on the risks.

“There’s campylobacter, salmonella. There’s yersinia, listeria, tuberculosis, you name it, there’s a lot of these bacteria that can actually live in the rich nutrient environment of raw milk,” says Clark County public health doctor Justin Denny.

Denny worked on the E. coli outbreak that got lawmakers energized to take action against raw milk.

From a pubic health perspective, having 15 kids ill, 5 of whom are hospitalized – three in critical condition – you know, we’re advocating for the safety of our community. And this is a preventable source of infection,” Denny says.

He thinks it’s a good idea for the state to do something. But small operators worry that regulators will treat farms with one or two cows the same as large-scale commercial operations.

“It is a reactionary law, I think, to try to show the people of WA that the government is serious about protecting the public health,” says Chrys Ostrander, a spokesman for the Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy Owners.

Ostrander wants the state to create separate guidelines for farmers who produce raw milk from only a handful of cows.

“The micro-dairy can produce a safe product. But it doesn’t necessarily have to have all the facilities and equipment that a larger dairy has,” he says.

Ostrander is reluctant to specify what the requirements should be, saying that officials and stakeholders are still working it out. He hopes to convince lawmakers to hold off on passing any new laws in 2006. That could be time the public needs to get better informed about the potential risks and benefits of enjoying a tall, cold glass of raw milk.