Pennsylvania Exemplifies How Department of Agriculture Can Work with Farms to Ensure Raw Milk Safety

A Franklin county, PA dairy producer has been given the OK to resume selling raw milk, following a state inspection of the farm after two of its customers came down with Campylobacter, a mild gastrointestinal illness that usually clears up without medical care.

The state ordered The Family Cow to cease the sales of raw milk on August 5, and the farm’s owner quickly sent out an email to his customers that he was working with the state and several experts to identify and correct the source of the problem. The farm ended up removing one cow from the herd and using a pipeline sanitizer that protects against Campylobacter. Following these corrections and additional tests of the raw milk and the premises by an independent expert, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture determined that the farm was clear to resume its sales of raw milk.

This incident is an encouraging example of how, in some states, health officials do work with farmers to allow the sales of raw milk while ensuring that the product is safe for consumption – rather than banning raw milk forever because of a few episodes of contamination, which also occurs with poultry, vegetables and fruits every year throughout the nation. As with these foods, consumers purchasing raw milk understand that they are assuming a small risk – a risk many are willing to take in order to reap the health benefits from this nutritious, natural food.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/raw_milk_the_family_cow_pennsy.html

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods.  http://www.westonaprice.org/lab