MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – Raw milk lovers are about to try again to legalize it in Wisconsin.
Assembly Republican David Murphy of Greenville says he’ll introduce a new bill in the next couple of weeks. He says people should have the freedom to buy unpasteurized milk directly from farms.
Those who drink it cite health benefits not found in the pasteurized product.
Shawn Pfaff of the Wisconsin Safe Milk Coalition says raw milk is not safe — and there’s no way it can be made safe. His group helped strike down the most recent effort to legalize raw milk two years ago.
Former Senate Republican Glenn Grothman of Campbellsport led that charge, but he has since moved on to Congress.
A similar bill reached former Governor Jim Doyle’s desk in 2010. He considered signing it, but Doyle changed his mind after last-minute lobbying convinced him that illnesses from raw milk could taint Wisconsin’s worldwide reputation as “America’s Dairyland.”
Earlier this year, a farm near Durand lost its state milk production permit for 30 days after it was tied to a raw milk disease outbreak which made almost 40 people sick.
Governor Scott Walker’s office says he’ll review a raw bill if it reaches his desk — but as in the past, it would need safeguards to protect people’s health and the integrity of the dairy industry.
(Story courtesy of Wheeler News Service)
