Dairy Debate on the Senate Floor

As early as Monday, Kentucky's Senate could vote to officially allow our Commonwealth's farmers to sell cow shares. Senators Perry Clark, John Schickel, Robin Webb, and Mike Wilson, are sponsoring Senate Bill 47, which would ratify an individual's legal right to share ownership of livestock with a farmer. As an owner or co-owner, that cowsharing individual has rights to the creature's milk, eggs or meat. [caption id="attachment_9751" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Moo!"] [/caption] At present, this practice is not illegal. It is illegal in Kentucky for a farmer to sell raw or unpasteurized milk. But, if an individual owns or partially owns the animal that produces that milk, pasteurized or not, and pays the farmer for his/her services in keeping the creature, the farmer is technically not selling the milk, because the "cow sharer" already owns it. This practice frees the farmer from any liability concerning the animal products. SB 47 would put the legal pathways in place to validate this bovine-sharing arrangement. However, it would not allow for the retail sale of raw milk. SB 47 has a lot of support from the Community Farm Alliance (CFA), and in rural communities. According to the CFA, validating a farmer's right to enter into these types of contracts will allow farmers to sell milk more easily within their own rural communities, as well as increase markets for small-scale farmers. In urban communities as well, there is an increasing demand for raw milk. Farm-to-table activists see entering into these contracts as a way to strengthen the relationships between local farmers and consumers. For others, flavor is the draw of the raw. Some also cite higher levels of nutrients in unpasteurized milk, as well as other somewhat contingent health benefits. Most of the benefits that raw milk advocates invoke, like reduced allergies and asthma and an iron immune system, have not yet been subject to scientific study. But not everyone is as wild for raw milk as the CFA. Louis Pasteur still has some good friends in the FDA and CDC. According to the FDA website, uncooked milk may contain harmful bacteria, including Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. The CDC says that 800 people have been sickened from ingesting dubious raw dairy since 1998. However, when you compare that statistic to the 76 million people a year that suffer from food poisoning, the number may seem only a drop in the milk pail. Nonetheless, the CDC and FDA maintain...Read more