Page 95 - Summer2008

of raw milk from young and old, some of which eating deli meats than from consuming raw Everything
you will hear today. Opponents of raw milk are milk—and this estimate is based on the exagger-
uniformly condescending towards individual ated and biased reports mentioned earlier, which that we have
testimonials, dismissing them as anecdotal. blame raw milk but do not prove that it caused learned about
Yet for the individuals and families involved, an illness. Here we have yet another example the health
these testimonials are of the double standard
pure science—objec- applied to raw milk. benefits,
tive conclusions drawn Where are the FDA’s immune
from before-and-after charges that deli meats support,
observation of condi- are “inherently danger-
tions incumbent on a ous and should not be probiotic
single variable, the ad- consumed?” Where is qualities and
dition of raw milk to the the FDA’s exhortation anti-
diet. to “everyone charged
The second docu- with protecting the pub- pathogenic
ment presented to the lic health” to prevent components
Committee is a Pow- Liz Reitzig (left), Bowie, Maryland chapter leader the sale of deli meats to of raw human
erpoint presentation and president of the Maryland Independent consumers?
prepared by the Weston Farmers and Consumers Association (MICFA) By our calculations, milk over the
A. Price Foundation, with Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy, pasteurized milk is 1.1 last 40 years
which addresses the Sally Fallon and Michael Schmidt of Canada at to 15.3 times more dan- applies
the California Senate hearings in April.

safety, health benets gerous than raw milk
and economic considerations of raw milk (posted on a per-serving basis. Even using government equally to the

at realmilk.com). This document is fully refer- statistics that inate the danger of raw milk, it is raw milk of
enced and contains all the scientic studies that easy to calculate that one is over 2000 times more other species.

we know about. In it we provide the math for that likely, on a per-serving basis, to contract illness
sixty-four-thousand-dollar question—what is the from other foods than from raw milk. In fact, the
safety record of raw milk versus pasteurized and only way to reduce the risk of food borne illness
versus other foods on a per-serving basis? The to zero is to stop eating and die of starvation. .
Centers for Disease Control estimates that on a . . or to consume raw milk on a regular basis to
per-serving basis, one is ten times more likely ensure immunity to pathogens.
to become ill from Listeria monocytogenes by Our Powerpoint presentation details the

NEW YORK: THE MEADOWSWEET DAIRY CASE

The hearing on Meadowsweet Dairy LLC’s petition for a permanent injunction against the New York Department
of Agriculture and Markets (NYDAM) should be taking place sometime this summer in the Albany County Supreme Court
[see Wise Traditions, Winter 2007 and Spring 2008 issues for background on this case]. The LLC’s shareholders are asking
the court to rule that NYDAM has no jurisdiction over the distribution of raw dairy products to the shareholders and that
the agency should be prohibited from interfering with the LLC’s operations.
On March 10, Judge Egan of the Albany County Supreme Court stayed a motion by NYDAM to show cause why the
Smiths should not be held in contempt of court for refusing to unlock the doors of the production facility on their farm
when the inspectors from the department were executing a warrant to search the Smiths’ premises. Judge Egan, who will
be hearing the LLC’s suit for the injunction, ruled that he will only consider the show cause motion if he determines at that
hearing that NYDAM does have jurisdiction over the LLC’s distribution of raw dairy products.
In response to the Meadowsweet case, legislation has been introduced into both the New York Senate (S06827) and
Assembly (A10870) that would legalize the sale of raw milk off the farm premises (texts of the bills can be found at www.
assembly.state.ny.us/leg/). The reason the Smiths had dropped their retail raw milk license was that under it they could
sell raw milk only on the farm, depriving them of customers who would not travel to their location to pick it up. The bills,
if passed into the law, would put Meadowsweet Dairy under NYDAM’s jurisdiction regardless of how Judge Egan rules.
Both bills state that “every person engaged in the production of raw, untreated milk for human consumption shall hold a
permit issued by the commissioner.”
SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 93