May 13, 2008
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Raw Deal for Raw Milk
By Senator Mike Folmer

Prior to Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration, state government was supportive of the Commonwealth’s proud heritage of raw milk production.  In recent weeks and months, however, state authorities have become hostile toward our raw milk farmers.

On April 25th, Mennonite raw milk farmer Mark Nolt of Newville had his farm raided for the second time. This time Nolt was arrested, while officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) seized $30,000 worth of cheese and other products intended to feed families, including his own. PDA agents also seized parts from equipment necessary for Nolt to run his raw milk operation, thus crippling his livelihood and means for providing for himself and his family. 

The significant volume of raw milk foods seized by the authorities was thrown away, even as nearly 1.2 million Pennsylvanians are at risk for hunger, according the PDA’s web site. 

Elizabethtown dairy farmer Glenn Wise is a farmer-member of a private organization that sells milk only to community members. He was issued three citations for allegedly selling raw milk without the proper state permit. 

While Wise, Nolt and several others have been targeted for allegedly being in violation of the state’s requirement to have a permit to sell raw milk, other raw milk farmers who have permits have also been subject to the Rendell administration’s harassment. Additionally, those wishing to obtain a raw milk permit have suddenly found it more difficult to do so. 

Why the crackdown on the Commonwealths’ longstanding raw milk tradition?  Answer: the administration has succumbed to an irrational fear of the health aspects of raw milk.

The truth is this: properly collected from cows fed with organic grass, raw milk has no appreciable negative consequences for the consumer. In fact, raw milk from grass-fed cows contains natural antibiotic properties that help protect it from pathogenic bacteria. Raw milk is also more nutritious than pasteurized milk because pasteurization destroys heat-sensitive vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin B and thiamin, as well as positive enzymes. Pasteurization also destroys friendly, pathogen-eating bacteria. Pasteurized milk sickens people in far greater numbers than does the more heavily regulated raw product, although admittedly far more people drink pasteurized milk.

Let me offer an important disclaimer: any food can be contaminated, including raw and pasteurized milk. What matters is how the milk is produced, handled and packaged.

Consumers should always employ the concept of caveat emptor (“buyer beware”), and use their good sense when purchasing raw milk and its byproducts. 

The bottom line is this: state government needs to get off the backs of our raw milk farmers. The overwhelming majority are hardworking, conscientious people who take great pride in producing a safe, healthful product to the numerous consumers in Pennsylvania who appreciate the taste, quality, and benefits of raw milk.