* * * URGENT ALERT * * * Your help is needed! * * * Please take a few simple steps to help pass the Minnesota Raw Milk Bills (Senate SF147 and House HF255) now under consideration at the state legislature!
THEISSUE :Raw, farm-fresh milk is a legal, time-honored food in Minnesota; however, the
current yet outdated law requires it to be obtained “at the farm” and only “occasionally”.
The proposed bills enhance access to raw dairy and raw dairy products by allowing more
freedom of delivery options to various sites and homes, in addition to at the farm.
The current restrictions create hardships for Minnesotans to obtain farm-fresh milk
and for farmers wishing to sell farm-fresh milk.Thousands of individuals and families must now drive considerable distances to get farm-fresh milk each week, resulting in transportation hazards,
inefficient fuel consumption, and needless wear and tear on roads and vehicles.
The Minnesota raw milk bills support farmers and consumers by allowing clear,
easy, and practical access to family farmers and their fresh milk.
THESOLUTION : 1. Remove “occasionally” since it is vague and impractical. If it is OK to sell, the frequency of sale should not matter. 2. Remove on-site purchase requirement since it is wasteful, burdensome, impractical and unsafe to have many city consumers drive to where the farm-fresh milk is produced.
JUSTIFICATION : • In Minnesota, farm-fresh milk is a traditional, cultural food consumed by many families for generations. • Raw milk consumers are rational people making educated choices by studying the health aspects, meeting the farmers and visiting the farms. They choose their food and their dairy farmer carefully. • Our urbanized society is different from when the current purchase restrictions were established. The restrictions need to be removed to reflect the current times, and to be less discriminatory toward those who rely on public transportation or who are disabled, blind or unable to drive. • Raw milk produced for human consumption is safe. There are 2 forms of raw milk. One type of raw milk must be pasteurized. The other type is produced under different conditions and can be consumed raw. • Pasteurized milk is a processed food. Nutrition and health professionals recommend less processed foods. • These bills support family-scale farms, rural economies, healthy citizens, sustainable farming, food freedom and the national “Know Your Farmer” campaign.They cost nothing for the state to implement.They simply improve practical access to an already legal food. T A K EA C T I O N :
• Contact your legislators at the state level, i.e., the Senator and House Representative for your district.Tell them where you live, ask them to support this bill and tell them why it is important to you.Include any health benefits for you and your loved ones.
• Write letters, make phone calls and ask to meet with your legislators in person.Meetings can be a brief meeting at the Capitol in St. Paul, or a meeting at a coffee shop or at your or a friend’s home with a small group of like-minded friends in your home district.
• Stress that these bills make it EASIER, MORE EFFICIENT AND SAFER to obtain farm-fresh dairy products.It is essentially a transportation safety issue and an efficiency issue.
• Include the justifications above, and make it personal and positive for the greatest impact.
