Raw Milk In West Virginia Now Legal
Raw Milk In Canada Heats Up
February 29, 2016Dairy Farmer Michael Schmidt to Hold Peaceful Celebration of Food Freedom
March 14, 2016After a seven-year battle, the Governor signs bill to make raw milk in West Virginia legal through cow shares
Raw milk in West Virginia is now legal and available through cow share arrangements. The news spread quickly on Facebook after the governor signed the bill into law.
Lead advocate for the legislation, Tinia Creamer stated,
“It has been really amazing to watch the positive change in West Virginia on the issue of raw milk rights and food freedom. We’ve taken Food Freedom from a place of silence to a hot button issue that whole state has now talked about,” Says Creamer.
“Regaining the ability to operate herdshares was certainly not an overnight occurrence here, and the general thought for a long time was that West Virginia would never allow co-ownership agreements to exist again. In the end, I believe it was worth the 7-year fight. Well worth it. Persistence and growing a strong statewide support base through social media made SB387, the Raw Milk Herdshare bill, law. We overcame corporate Lobby groups, Lobbyists hired by statewide Health Departments and involvement from the FDA.”
The fact that raw milk in West Virginia is now available through cow shares is phenomenal. This opening for co-ownership of animals through cow share arrangements speaks to the ongoing shift from complete prohibition to acceptance of people’s rights to obtain the foods of their choice from the producer of their choice.
It is refreshing to see this shift continuing to occur, especially as enforcement increases against raw milk in Canada. If raw milk in West Virginia can be legal and available, perhaps it won’t be much longer for the other states and Canada that are holding out.
After the West Virginia bill was vetoed in 2015, Tinia persisted in bringing the issue before the General Assembly in 2016. Her hard work has paid off with farmers rights now reinstated.
“It is a relief, really,” says Creamer. “I know that raw milk in West Virginia through herdshares will help small farmers thrive; they will be a much needed way to bolster our economy. I am thankful that farmers will be able to offer, through co-ownership, a local food to their communities. This will, in turn, offer education to families about where their food comes from, how it is produced and really connect farmers to the people, as well.”
As the tide continues to shift towards raw milk availability, it is the advocates like Tinia we can thank for their tireless, unpaid work that keeps legislation and possibility alive.
To learn more about raw milk and other nutrient dense foods, visit westonaprice.org
7 Comments
WOw this is fantastic! Good work to all involved. We pray the pwers that be don’t plant nasties in someones milk to give them a reason to withdraw the rights.
It’s highly suspicious that was done of some herbs coming from Mexico.
How can we help the plight in Canada, I’ve tried to contact those folks to give support from the west but have not gotten any reply.
Maybe you have contact information for Michael Smith?
Yippie. There is no hope for NJ with our current governor, but hopeful for the future! Thank God for the underground milk society for now!
I have a small dairy goat herd and sell some raw milk in Oklahoma. It constantly amazes me that tobacco products,that are proven carcinogens, are legal and available everywhere and raw milk is so vilified. You have to wonder at the intelligence of our governing bodies. I am glad Oklahoma is one of the saner states.
Congratulations!! And how do I get some raw milk.? My whole family was raised on raw milk & we are all very healthy.
Come on you are not going to mention the smear campaign the media has Ben engaged in for the last week about the law makers that got sick? Did anyone ever test the milk? We need to respond. They are going viral with this…
Tinia,
Thank you for all your hard work and perseverance. This could not have happened without you!
Hi. Can somebody with more expertise than me address this article here?: http://www.citizenvox.org/2016/03/16/got-raw-milk/
I like the group in general because they fight against government corruption, but it seems a guest blogger attacked the raw milk legalization in WV because the lawmakers got sick. I made my own comment there, but it’s under moderation. I hope comments get unmoderated soon so anyone coming by and reading the article doesn’t come away with the wrong idea. If the comments do get unmoderated, I want there to be several comments critiquing the article so people know there’s more than one side of the story.